A Canberra man who raped a 13-year-old girl he met on Tinder has been sentenced to two years, eight months and 24 days in jail. Jaryn Timosevski, 22, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and one act of indecency after the girl reported the abuse to police.
The ACT Supreme Court heard that Timosevski and the victim first made contact on the dating app in December 2022. Tinder is restricted to users over 18, but the court was told there was no verification process at the time. During their exchanges, Timosevski expressed suspicion about the girl's age, noting in a message to a friend that she might be underage and that he would ask for ID.
When they met in person, Timosevski drove the girl to his home and gave her cannabis vape, which made her dizzy. The victim told Timosevski that it “felt wrong,” but he called her “special” and continued the assault. The assaults occurred over four days before the girl went to police.
Prosecutor Morgan Howe described Timosevski’s behaviour as predatory, citing the messages and the victim’s protests. Justice Michael Elkaim agreed, stating that while Timosevski may not have been predatory when initially contacting the girl on Tinder, his conduct became predatory after they met. Timosevski will be eligible for parole in July next year and will be placed on the sexual offenders register.
