London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

'Sexual predator' Tom Rodwell jailed for raping five women

'Sexual predator' Tom Rodwell jailed for raping five women

A "sexual predator" who raped five women he met on dating app Tinder has been jailed for a minimum of 12 years.

Tom Rodwell initially appeared as "perfect partner material", police said, but manipulated his victims, who he met between 2017 and 2020.

The 31-year-old trainee paramedic from Middlesbrough had previously admitted 10 rapes as well as one attempted rape and sexual assault.

Judge Paul Watson sentenced Rodwell to life at Teesside Crown Court.

The judge described the defendant as a "callous, unfeeling sexual predator" who was "addicted to a sense of power" and only interested in his own gratification.

He described Rodwell as a "significant danger" to women and said he had left his victims with "long lasting emotional scars which would take years to heal".

During the hearing it emerged that the former Royal Navy and HMRC employee, who has no previous convictions, faced similar charges in Scotland in 2018 but was acquitted.

Raped on second date


Richard Bennett, prosecuting, told the court Rodwell contacted the first woman and told her he was into "rough sex" but "did not realise or seem to care that he needed consent".

Rodwell admitted raping her four times.

He told his second victim her wanted to get her pregnant and attacked her on their second date, after which he messaged her asking when he could "rape her again", Mr Bennett said.

The third said she considered killing herself having been raped by Rodwell several times.

The fourth recalled that Rodwell raped and hit her in a hotel. He later claimed he could not remember what happened but said his "ex liked it", Mr Bennett said.

The final victim said Rodwell had wanted to "own her" and "choke her", the court heard.

'Doubt themselves'


Det Con Rick Sainsbury, from Cleveland Police's domestic abuse unit, said Rodwell came initially across as "perfect partnership material".

The victims, some of whom were university students, were not just physically abused by Rodwell but also manipulated emotionally, leaving some to believe they were to blame for his violence.

Det Con Sainsbury said: "He'd ask them to marry him, have kids with him, and it would be within a few days of meeting.

"That would soon change - sometimes even by the second meeting - when he would start to manipulate them, make them doubt themselves.

"If they had some doubts about themselves already he would centre in on that and exploit it. He's managed to get into their heads so much they've doubted what was happening to them."

He praised the bravery and strength of the victims who came forward and urged any women who have been subjected to any kind of abuse to contact police.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×