A French court on Friday convicted Salim Berrada, a 38-year-old former Moroccan photographer for 18 years for raping and sexually assaulting several women he had lured on dating apps and social media to take their pictures, local media reported.
Berrada, dubbed “Tinder Rapist” by French media, was reportedly found guilty of 12 counts of rape and three sexual assaults and will be obliged to leave France.
Although initially accused of raping or sexually assaulting 17 women, Berrada was acquitted of rape in two cases due to insufficient evidence and the benefit of the doubt.
Prosecutors said that he had invited women he met online between 2015 and 2016 to participate in photo shoots and proceeded to assault them during the encounters.
The defendant had denied the charges, saying that the sexual relations were all consensual.
The prosecutor said that Berrada offered a drink to women when they arrived for a modeling session.“Once they accepted, the women said they felt an abnormal and rapid inebriation and sudden weakness, which investigators said pointed to the drinks being laced with drugs,” according to Le Monde.
His lawyer argued that toxicology reports failed to confirm the drugging allegations.
Berrada was first arrested in 2016 and reportedly spent two and a half years in prison awaiting trial before being released under judicial supervision. He was subsequently banned from working as a photographer.
Ensuing legal complaints in July resulted in his reincarceration and the renewal of charges for rape and sexual assault.