Man who tricked men into gay sex by pretending to be a woman has been found guilty
A gay man who duped straight men into having sex with him by pretending to be a woman has been found guilty of six sex crimes.
Duarte Xavier, 33, has been convicted of posing as ‘Ana’ on numerous dating websites and sending them suggestive photographs of women in order for his act to be more believable and to encourage conversations of a sexual nature.
He would then invite them to his home in either Bournemouth, Dorset or Wandsworth, London, where he would insist upon his guests wearing blindfolds.
His first victim dates back to February 2016. During their liaison, the 45-year-old realised that something was unusual, pulled off his eye mask and saw Xavier.
After leaving the establishment in a hurry, he claimed he received a text from an apologetic Xavier who put what happened down to him having “a mental health problem.”
Later that year, in October, a 29-year-old man started talking to ‘Ana’ on an app and began sending increasingly flirtatious messages via WhatsApp before arranging to meet. When he arrived at Xavier’s flat, he swore he heard a female voice say, “Stay there, don’t take off and don’t move the mask.”
Like the first victim, he eventually figured that something was wrong and saw Xavier briefly before fleeing his home. Xavier reportedly reached out to the man after the incident, urging that it was all a big misunderstanding.
Xavier reportedly spoke to his victims via apps such as Tinder and WhatsApp (Photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
First arrest
The victim alerted the police and Xavier was arrested on 16 October 2017 on suspicion of causing sexual activity with another person without consent. He was released under investigation.
Despite his run-in with the police, Xavier did a similar thing to a third man in April 2018, only this time ‘Ana’ told him to keep their exchange a secret because ‘she was married’. The victim recollected how a pillowcase had been thrown over his head to obscure his vision.
Like the third victim, he called the police and Xavier was arrested again on suspicion of sexual assault and later charged. However, he was later bailed at Wimbledon magistrates’ court.
It was only discovered that Xavier had had a fourth victim when those investigating the claims searched several mobile phones they had found at his property.
It is suspected there are more victims
Wandsworth-based Detective Constable Lucy Marsh released a statement regarding Xavier’s conviction, reading: “The crimes [he] committed are unique in their depravity; all of the victims had no reason to believe that they were not engaging with a woman and all have stated unequivocally that they would never have given their consent to sexual relations with another man.
“Xavier has demonstrated extreme manipulation and cunning in order to satisfy his own sexual gratification, setting bizarre conditions that the victims adhered to in the belief that they were part of the experience.
“He is a sexual predator and I hope the victims, all of whom were traumatised by their experiences, will now feel that they have achieved some justice.”
Xavier will be sentenced in early November. (Pexels)
She went on to thank the men who testified against Xavier and noted how they must have faced “difficult and challenging questions throughout the judicial process”.
Marsh continued: “We are also entirely aware that there may be other potential victims of Xavier who, so far, have also felt too ashamed to speak to police.
“I would ask those people to come forward, to tell us, and we will treat you with the utmost sensitivity and in the strictest of confidence.”
Xavier will be officially sentenced on 9 November.
