So, according to statistics, most American singles are dating online. And, commonly, most online daters don’t encounter real danger while searching for that someone who may be their mate for life. Sadly, such was not the case for a New York woman who stumbled upon sexual predator Kenneth Washington, 36, while she was looking for love on the dating website Plenty of Fish. The Harlem man was recently sentenced to 17 years in prison for raping the woman and reportedly seeking out other unsuspecting women online he planned to attack.
According to reports, in October 2014, after communicating with the woman, 27, on Plenty of Fish, Washington met up with her and a week later he invited her to his apartment where he forced her to have sex with him.
Another woman then helped Washington put the woman into the victim’s Hyundai SUV. The woman held the victim down as a drunken Washington took her on a terror ride down the Grand Concourse.
Luckily, after enduring the harrowing experience, the woman jumped out of the moving car and called 911.
While speaking at the trial, the unnamed victim said the experience has made her believe the worst of most people: “Every morning when I wake up I have to remind myself that my attacker isn’t going to hurt me today … Everywhere I go I have to look over my shoulder.”
Before being sentenced for the rape and a litany of other charges including later hitting another woman with the stolen car and breaking her arm, Washington claimed his drinking is to blame for his crimes. According to the Daily News, he said, “I realize being in here for 18 months that I had an alcohol problem, and I finally addressed it, which is the first step toward change.”
Washington then told Justice Barbara Newman that he was sorry for the “embarrassment and pain” his victim suffered. “I hope that one day she won’t have to look around the room, because I won’t be coming,” he said.
Washington, who is now married to a woman he wed at Riker’s Island, was convicted and sentenced to 17 years.
This topic is of particular interest because many people are dating online today. Are you online dating? What precautions do you take to avoid creeps like Washington? Help others by adding suggestions and comments below.
