‘Manipulative’ catfish used voice app to pose as a man while stalking Tinder match
A catfish who used a voice-changing app to pose as a man during a creepy stalking campaign has been jailed.
Adele Rennie, 33, from Kilmarnock, pretended to be a male pharmacist when she matched with her victim on Tinder in August 2023.
The woman swapped numbers with Rennie, a registered sex offender, and arranged to go on a date with who she thought was the man from the fake profile.
But Rennie cancelled the meeting at the last minute, leading the victim to believe Tinder account was a ‘catfish’ profile.
Six days later she received a voice note from a woman who called herself Cheryl, claiming to be a friend of the man and asking her ‘not to give up on him’.
She then received calls from the man himself, but thought the voice had been altered.
On September 5, Rennie sent the woman an explicit image. That was followed a week later with a photo of the outside of her workplace.
Prosecutors said that on October 8, Rennie sent the woman a screenshot of Google Maps which showed someone outside her home.
The woman then received a photograph of her street which had been taken through a car window.
Five days later she was sent a ticket for a gig in London by Rennie but decided she did not want to go. Rennie then asked her to send the ticket on via Ticketmaster to an email address.
The woman was then shown pictures from the concert by a witness showing Rennie in attendance there. She then contacted police who searched Rennie’s home on November 14, 2023.
A mobile phone was examined which revealed an email address with the name of the man and searches for the victim in its internet history.
The police also found a photograph matching the fake male profile and recovered several bank cards, which had not been declared in accordance with Rennie’s sex offender notification requirement.
Rennie previously appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on July 30 where she admitted four charges
She was sentenced on Friday to 28 months in prison and made subject to a 12-month supervised release order at the same court. She was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
David Bernard, procurator fiscal for north Strathclyde, said: ‘Adele Rennie carried out a sophisticated stalking campaign despite being subject to strict notification requirements as a registered sex offender.
‘We recognise that the trauma suffered by victims of stalking can be profound and distressing.
‘We hope this conviction brings some comfort to those affected by Rennie’s concerning and manipulative behaviour.
‘I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of such offending to come forward, report it and seek support.
‘You will be listened to, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to seek justice.’
A non-harassment order, banning Rennie from approaching, contacting, or attempting to approach or contact her victim for a period of five years was granted at the court on Friday.
She was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
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