Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Hannah Neale

Second alleged victim of 'creepy' Tinder catfisher comes forward

A second woman has made allegations against an alleged Tinder catfisher who is accused of "creepy" and "gross" indecent assaults.

The alleged trickster, Robelt Harthur Hilarion Urdanivia, is accused of committing similar offences against two women he met on the dating app in February this year.

On Thursday, his lawyer, Giordano Borzuola, told the ACT Magistrates Court the allegations were "an example of why many women in the community don't feel safe when they are casually dating, which they are entitled to do".

Hilarion Urdanivia, 28, faces two counts of committing an act of indecency without consent.

While he is yet to formally enter pleas, Mr Borzuola told the court his client intended to plead guilty to one of the charges.

The court previously heard Hilarion Urdanivia had been banned from Tinder in Peru.

On Thursday, Mr Borzuola said Hilarion Urdanivia, a Peruvian national, had never been arrested or found guilty of any offence in his home country.

Mr Borzuola applied for the construction worker to be released on bail, saying "time on remand may well outweigh the sentence that will be imposed".

He said Hilarion Urdanivia's alleged behaviour was "creepy", "gross", and "clandestine under the radar [but] now it has all been brought to light".

Prosecutor Alexandra Back argued against bail, saying both of the alleged victims had "expressed some discomfort" at the proposed conditions.

"[Hilarion Urdanivia] has admitted dishonesty in that he regularly uses fake dating app profiles in order to meet women," Ms Back said.

Police documents state a second woman came forward and made allegations against Hilarion Urdanivia after reading media reports.

It is alleged that in January she started talking with a tanned and athletic man named Raul on Tinder.

Police claim Raul was actually Hilarion Urdanivia and the Tinder profile pictures "were not consistent with the defendant's physical appearance".

On February 1, they agreed to meet and have sex at Hilarion Urdanivia's address in Mawson.

The man is said to have met his alleged victims on Tinder. Picture Shutterstock

The document states that about 1am when the alleged victim approached the front door, the man, who was partially obscured, opened it about 30 centimetres and said "I have to close the door quickly".

It is said the home had no lights on and all the curtains were drawn.

He then allegedly grabbed the woman by the arm and squeezed her through the narrow opening.

Police claim the woman found it hard to see in the dark loungeroom, but soon noticed his silhouette was "a different male physique" than that of his Tinder pictures.

She observed the man had "a round figure and had a chubby face" and immediately became concerned, the document states.

The woman repeated multiple times "I don't want this", but Hilarion Urdanivia allegedly repeatedly touched her genitals.

The police document states that for the alleged victim "in these moments it felt like hours".

The woman is said to have then pushed Hilarion Urdanivia away and stumbled through the dark to find the front door, only to discover it was locked

While the woman started to "panic" and try to unlock the door, Hilarion Urdanivia is accused of trying to grab any part of her body he could reach.

When she screamed "no", the man is said to have unlocked the front door and allowed her to leave.

Police claim a short time later, she answered a call from Hilarion Urdanivia who said: "Baby come back, it's OK, I am horny."

She allegedly responded "you lied, you are fat and look like you are a 40-year-old man" and hung up.

He then continued to send her messages saying "I'm horny" and a picture of his penis, police claim.

On Thursday, magistrate Jane Campbell denied Hilarion Urdanivia bail.

He is set to return to court at a later date.

  • Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.