Serial fraudster Ryan McVeigh used Gary Stephenson’s photographs and name to carry out sexual, financial and emotional abuse crimes
Gary Stephenson, from East Yorkshire, whose identity was stolen by a dating app rapist(Image: Submitted )
An East Yorkshire dad has spoken out about the horrifying ordeal he faced when he discovered a serial criminal was using his name and photograph to target women on dating apps. It came to light when Gary Stephenson was contacted by scores of victims of Ryan McVeigh, of Scotland.
The Daily Record reported earlier this month that McVeigh, who had already conned and abused seven women when he appeared in court in November, had gone on target 10 more victims after being freed from prison to await trial. He pleaded guilty to a string of charges at the end of last year, but the investigation by The Record’s sister title The Sunday Mail, revealed that officials missed the chance to stop the 32-year-old in 2023 when he was remanded in custody at court – only to be set free days later ‘due to a mistake’.
In an interview with the Sunday Mail Gary, 40, says he was forced to tell his family that McVeigh, using his identify, was facing charges of fraud and rape. Gary said: “It was a massive shock and the scale of it was unbelievable.
“One woman had told me she had seen my picture on a Facebook group called ‘Are we Dating the same guy’ and after comments from other women had reversed searched my pictures and got in touch with me.
He said she was about the 12th woman who had contacted him. “I found myself apologising for things I’d never done,” he said.
“I had nothing to do with this, I had to tell my ex-wife and my fiancée that this wasn’t me. When the police got involved, that’s when we began to realise how serious it was.
“But what scared me was when I found out McVeigh was being charged with rape, using with my name. I had spent time on the phone to the police in Scotland where they had to ask me if I’d sent private pictures of myself to women.
“They knew it wasn’t me, but they had to ask me about what tattoos I had on my hands and my body. I then had someone tell me my pictures were on a sperm donation site.
“I rang the police because they had put a picture of my daughter and myself on this site. I’ve got a big following on TikTok where I tell jokes and post videos but all the pictures he used were from my Facebook profile.
“I don’t know him, have never met him. He must have just picked me out of thin air, but when these women see him, because it’s my pictures he sent, they see me. I’m disgusted by what he has done to these poor women, the lies, the fraud, the rapes. It’s terrifying.”
McVeigh used dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble with a string of fake names including Gary Stephenson, Paul Justin and Reece Fletcher. In November, he pleaded guilty to 38 charges from 2023 and 2024 at the High Court in Glasgow, including the rape of the two main victims and defrauding 17 victims out of £81,872.
But the Sunday Mail investigation revealed that McVeigh initially appeared in court on petition on November 24, 2023, charged with a serious domestic abuse charge. He was remanded in custody.
Official documents state he was granted bail at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court five days later on December 1. After the Sunday Mail queried the decision, Crown officials admitted there had been a mistake and that he had been freed under a separate process due to a lack of evidence.
At the time, he had already targeted seven victims and within weeks of his release had clocked up a further 10, before finally being taken into custody eight months later in July 2024.
Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Liam Kerr MSP said: “This case exposes the serious dangers of the SNP’s relentless weakening of Scotland’s justice system. Victims deserve far stronger protections, including tougher action against online deception and predators who shamefully exploit dating apps.
“The Scottish Conservatives would stop the cost-cutting and scrap the reckless early release schemes and instead prioritise women’s safety and create a justice system which puts victims first.”
Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said “More must be done to prevent and prosecute these appalling crimes.
“It is important that our justice system and our laws are able to deal with the ever-evolving nature of these crimes so those using apps to defraud or assault women face the full force of the law. Apps must also ensure they have appropriate safeguards to protect people online.
“Scottish Labour will end the SNP’s soft touch approach to justice and work across society to tackle fraud and violence against women.”