Tinder catfish who assaulted two women jailed for nine months

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to indecent assaults.

A Tinder catfish created a fake profile on the dating app to lure two women to his home for sex before he repeatedly indecently assaulted them in the dark.

Robelt Harthur Hilarion Urdanivia, a now-29-year-old construction worker from Peru, originally fought his charges and only pleaded guilty to two counts of committing an act of indecency without consent on the day of his hearing.

‘Catfishing’ refers to using a fake online profile to mislead someone.

Hilarion Urdanivia used Tinder to meet and talk to two women after creating a fake profile using the name ‘Raul’ and a photo of a 20-year-old man with tanned skin and an athletic build.

“The offender did not have an athletic build and was later described by the second victim as about 170 cm tall, chubby build, with darker skin and of Southeast Asian appearance,” Magistrate Glenn Theakston said.

When the second woman became suspicious about his Tinder profile, he sent her a screenshot of another fake profile from a dating app called Bumble to convince her the details he had given her were accurate.

Both women separately agreed to go to Hilarion Urdanivia’s home for casual sex. When they arrived, he was wearing a hooded top and led them quickly into a darkened room.

The first woman went to his home at around 1 am on 1 February 2024. She became suspicious when he led her through the darkened house because she saw his silhouette and realised he had a different physique from the person on the Tinder profile.

She said, “I don’t want this”, several times, but he ignored her and repeatedly indecently assaulted her, including while she tried to leave back through the front door.

He eventually unlocked the door and she fled back to her car.

The second woman went to his home at around 9:30 pm on 10 February 2024 and he also repeatedly indecently assaulted her as well, until she said, “No”, pushed him away and left.

“It is an unavoidable inference that the offender’s conduct in the circumstances he arranged would have been extremely alarming for these women,” Magistrate Theakston said.

“The first victim’s victim impact statement confirms that evaluation and describes her consequential loss of security and well-being.”

He said the offending followed a deliberate and methodical attempt to conceal Hilarion Urdanivia’s identity and features.

“The victims were lured on the promise of engaging with someone other than the offender,” the magistrate said.

“When they arrived, the offender attempted to maintain the deception while abruptly and almost immediately fondling the victims.”

He also said Hilarion Urdanivia’s scheme put both women in a particularly vulnerable situation.

“That is alone with a stranger, in an unfamiliar home, in the dark. A stranger who may take advantage of them. A stranger who did take advantage of them,” he said.

Hilarion Urdanivia arrived in Australia in April 2023 and received a temporary 12-month visa, which has since expired. He is expected to remain in custody or immigration detention until he leaves Australia.

“It appears the offender had hopes of a future in Australia but now acknowledges that he will not be allowed to stay,” Magistrate Theakston said.

He had been in custody since his arrest on 11 February 2024 and was refused bail twice.

He was convicted and sentenced to a total of nine months in jail, which ended on 10 November 2024. He was then scheduled to go into immigration detention.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.