Stefan Crocker

Stefan Crocker, a roofer from Staplehurst in Kent, was sentenced to 30 months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court for sexually assaulting a woman he met on the dating app Tinder. The incident occurred on 30 September 2017, following a meeting arranged through the app. Crocker and the victim had been chatting online and agreed to meet at a pub in Tonbridge. After consuming a significant amount of alcohol, during which the victim vomited twice on the way back to her home, Crocker assaulted her there.

The jury at Maidstone Crown Court convicted Crocker of sexual assault by penetration but cleared him of a separate charge of rape. Prosecutor Richard Hearnden outlined the events, detailing how the victim's trust was betrayed in what became a distressing ordeal. In her victim impact statement, read to the court, she described blocking out the incident to protect herself, feeling foolish, weak, and violated. She stated: 'I feel dirty... I keep asking myself 'why me?' I refuse to let this incident define me. I am still me. I didn't deserve this to happen to me. It shouldn't have happened to anyone. I feel like I have been taken advantage of and violated... I want to get on with my life.' In a second statement, she added that Crocker's lies had forced her to relive the nightmare, leaving her too frightened to sleep, and noted: 'He made it look so easy to lie. I have to live with what he's done and the lies he has told.'

During the trial, Crocker claimed the victim had planted his DNA on her, a defence described by Recorder Alistair Webster QC as 'ludicrous'. The judge branded Crocker a 'glib liar' who had not accepted responsibility for the attack, despite a probation report indicating he had taken some responsibility but shown no remorse. The judge remarked: 'I saw you give evidence and I found you a ready and glib and, on the face of it, a persuasive liar.' The sentencing followed excessive delays in the trial, for which the judge apologised to the victim.

In a dramatic scene after the sentencing on 31 March 2022, Crocker refused to go directly to the cells, embracing his girlfriend who had been watching from the public gallery. As security pulled him away, he shouted: 'I am sorry but I can't kiss my girlfriend for (another) 30 months.' The incident was witnessed by the victim, who was seated nearby with a police officer and later escorted out through a side entrance. Detective Constable Celia King of the Chief Constable’s Crime Squad commented: 'This was a distressing ordeal for a young woman whose trust was betrayed in an appalling manner. Crocker has not shown any remorse for his actions and a prison sentence is entirely appropriate. I would like to commend the victim who has courageously assisted us to bring this offender to justice.' The case was reported by KentOnline, highlighting Crocker's prior status as a convicted sex offender.