Tinder Stalker Jailed
Businessman Sentenced to Eight Years for Tinder Stalking Campaign
Key Points
The fake Tinder profile used by Hussain carried the alias 'Mick Renney', a disguise he used to initiate contact with men and lure them to his ex‑girlfriend's home.
There was a notable spike in attendees in a single night, with four men turning up in August 2024, and police believe at least 18 men visited the address overall, potentially up to 35.
The harassment included prolonged doorbell ringing (two hours on one occasion) and an incident where a man shoved the door, causing a glass panel to smash; in one case an intruder even entered the home while the victim's teenage daughter was upstairs.
Police traced the fake profile and Hussain's involvement through doorbell footage and vehicle evidence, including the number plate of his Audi R8, leading to his arrest on the motorway; he was later convicted of stalking causing serious alarm or distress and related offenses and given an eight-year sentence.
A 36-year-old businessman has been jailed for eight years after creating a fake Tinder profile in his ex-girlfriend's name to lure up to 35 men to her home for what he described as a "rape fantasy." Asad Hussain, from Greater Manchester, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court after being convicted of stalking causing serious alarm or distress, assault, and related offenses, according to Chester Standard.
Police believe at least 18 men physically visited the victim's address. Some estimates put the total as high as 35. The campaign included doorbell harassment lasting up to two hours, a smashed glass panel, and an intruder entering the home while the victim's teenage daughter was upstairs alone, Mirror reported.
Hussain Used Alias 'Mick Renney' to Set the Trap
Hussain built a fraudulent Tinder profile using the alias 'Mick Renney.' The messages he sent claimed his ex-girlfriend wanted to be "roughed up" and that saying "no" meant she wanted it more. He used the profile to direct men to her home address in Cheshire, according to Metro.
The campaign ran for months. In one night alone — August 2024 — four men showed up at the property. On another occasion, one man stayed for two hours, ringing the doorbell the entire time, convinced it was part of the "roleplay." Hussain ran the operation remotely, reportedly watching events unfold from his Audi R8, Head Topics reported.
Glass Smashed and Daughter Left Alone as Violence Escalated
The harassment turned physical. One man lured to the house shoved the front door so hard that a glass panel shattered. In a separate incident, another man entered the home while the victim's teenage daughter was upstairs by herself. The victim described her home as a "prison" and said she lived in "a constant state of hyper-vigilance," Chester Standard reported.
Judge Steven Everett told Hussain during sentencing: "This was a campaign of the most wicked kind. You used other men as weapons to terrorize a woman you once claimed to love." Hussain's defense had argued he suffered a mental health breakdown after the split and did not intend physical harm. The judge rejected that argument, according to Mirror.
Audi R8 Number Plate and Doorbell Footage Broke the Case
Police cracked the case through digital and physical evidence. Doorbell camera footage captured Hussain's white Audi R8 — worth over £100,000 — idling near the property during multiple incidents. Officers used ANPR, a system that reads number plates automatically, to track the car. Hussain was arrested on the M6 motorway and his electronic devices were seized, Head Topics reported.
The lead detective said: "Hussain's actions were not just an invasion of privacy; they were an incitement to violence. He manipulated the desires of strangers to inflict maximum trauma." Police say the digital trail left by the car and the Tinder account will serve as a blueprint for future stalking investigations, according to Chester Standard.
Case Sparks Calls for Dating App Reform and New Stalking Laws
Legal analysts say the eight-year sentence is unusually long for a stalking conviction. It signals that courts are treating "proxy stalking" — using third parties to harass a victim — as seriously as physical assault. Hussain's profile stayed active for months on Tinder despite messages openly describing non-consensual scenarios, raising questions about the app's safety systems, Metro reported.
Domestic violence advocates have questioned why so many men felt comfortable approaching a private home based on a stranger's message promoting sexual violence without checking for consent. Campaigners are now calling for new legislation — nicknamed "Mick's Law" after Hussain's alias — to specifically criminalize luring third parties to a location for harassment or sexual violence, according to Head Topics.
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