The number of reports has risen from 33 in 2009 to 184 in 2014.

Figures released recently show there has been a six-fold increase in reports of online-dating related rape offences over a 5-year period, according to analysts.

The National Crime Agency’s Serious Crime Analysis Section (SCAS), which supports police investigations into serious sexual assaults committed by strangers, identified an increase in the number of people who were raped during their first face-to-face meeting following initial contact through an online dating website or app.