A Sydney Rapist Who Lured Victims on Flatmates.com.au Has Been Jailed

A real estate agent who lured two rape victims through postings on Flatmates.com.au has been sentenced to six and a half years in jail. Thomas Hofer was found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault against the two women, although he still maintains his innocence. Hofer won't be eligible for parole until April 2021.

The two attacks happened back in 2014, when Hofer posted an advertisement for a house in the inner city Sydney suburb of Glebe. Separately, he invited both women to meet him at nearby bars, where he plied them with drinks and dinner, before taking them back to view the house. There Hofer pinned the victims down in the bedroom, despite their protests that they didn't want to have sex with him—continuing even when they screamed "stop."

Afterwards, the real estate agent walked his victims to a bus stop and sent them disturbing text messages saying things like, "Goodnight dear, call me if you have any problems getting home" and "sweet dreams, dear."

One of his victims was a 19-year-old local woman, and the other a backpacker from the United States. Both were lured and assaulted by Hofer within the same 24-hour period.

Speaking in court after the verdict, one of Hofer's victims said she felt vindicated after staring her attacker in the face following his sentencing, telling Fairfax that she felt "stronger than I ever had in my life."

"Nobody asks to be raped. If it's happened, it's wrong and you need to stand up for yourself… Men that are like that don't stop, you won't be the last one. It's really important that we stand up and fight these predators," she said.

The woman initially reported her case to the police because she was worried her rapist would strike again, after he boasted to her that other women were coming to view the room listing.

"They way he planned it… he did it twice and he told me he was meeting another girl the next night. It would have been three," she said. "I feel real sorry for him because he has evil in his eyes, there is no empathy. He thought he did nothing wrong. You can't do that kind of stuff and get away with it. It doesn't make you powerful, it makes you weak."

Flatmates.com.au is Australia's biggest share accommodation site. Its homepage advises users that flatmates are found on the site every five and a half minutes.

The case highlights the unfortunate lengths prospective tenants may have to go to if they want to feel safe when inspecting properties. You can find personal safety tips to bear in mind while visiting rental properties via UK charity Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which was established following the disappearance of a real estate agent showing someone around a house in the 1980s.

Another tip: don't commit sexual assault.

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