Bedford man jailed for Grindr rapes

Dr Mohammed Altaher has been jailed for 10 years after raping two men

An "arrogant, narcissistic and self-obsessed" rapist who violently attacked two men he met through the dating app Grindr has been jailed.

Dr Mohammed Altaher, 38, attacked the two men at his home in Bedford in August and September 2019.

Altaher, of Cardington Road, was found guilty at an earlier hearing of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault by penetration.

He was jailed for 10 years at St Albans Crown Court.

Prosecutor Nigel Ogborne said both victims had withdrawn consent but Altaher "carried on regardless", raping them in an "aggressive manner".

One victim was given the drug MCAT before being subjected to sexual aggression, including rape.

He said the experience left him behaving "like a zombie."

The second victim was grabbed, kissed and pushed onto a bed by Altaher immediately after arriving at his home and was then raped.

In his victim statement he said the rape had a "significant impact" on his mental health and well-being.

"I was confident, healthy and outgoing and I now rely on medication," the court heard.

St Albans Crown Court

Andrew Cohen, defending, said Altaher had a "level of neuro-diversity that meant he did not understand or take signals from other people."

He said Altaher, who has a doctorate, was an expert in AI.

Recorder Andrew Johnson said the two men had gone to Altaher's home for consensual sex which would have occurred if the defendant had acted differently.

"But your approach to both of those encounters was to treat both of your victims as objects with whom you could do what you wished, when you wished, as you wished," he said.

The judge described Altaher as "arrogant", "narcissistic" and "very self-obsessed"

Altaher, who is appealing against his conviction, will be put on the sex offenders register for life and will also face extra probation monitoring for five years after he is released.

Det Con Kevin Cheese of Hertfordshire police said: "There is undoubtedly under-reporting in regards to male victims of sexual violence and I want to thank both survivors in this case for coming forward and getting a dangerous predator like Altaher off the streets."