Caprice Brown, an individual who previously operated as an adult entertainer, has received a nine-year prison sentence following her conviction for a series of violent robberies and fraud. Brown, 25, alongside an accomplice, lured men through dating applications to hotels in Birmingham and Coventry, where they were subsequently assaulted, restrained, and robbed. The sentencing, which also included a charge of assaulting an emergency worker, marks the culmination of a police investigation into the distressing incidents.

The court heard how Brown targeted her first victim, an Aston Villa supporter, in July 2020. Using the alias “Zara” on the Badoo dating app, she arranged a meeting at the Jurys Inn on Broad Street in Birmingham city centre. Once the victim was in the hotel room, Brown and an unidentified associate bound him with masking tape and inflicted severe burns using a heated iron, demanding his banking details.

Following the brutal assault, the perpetrators accessed the victim’s bank account, using his stolen card information to purchase a high-value iPhone worth nearly £1,000 from Argos. The victim, who had initially believed he was attending a date, suffered not only physical injuries but also significant financial loss and profound emotional distress from the ordeal.

A second, equally disturbing attack occurred in September 2020 at the Britannia Hotel in Coventry. Another victim, lured via the Tinder dating app by a woman using the name “Maia,” was confronted by Brown and two other women, including Damani Scott-Slue (formerly Karissa Alfrez). The victim was restrained with handcuffs and masking tape, then threatened with scissors to coerce him into revealing his phone and bank details.

The assailants in the Coventry incident stole the victim’s £800 Samsung mobile phone and bank card, subsequently withdrawing £1,000 from his account. Despite being bound and gagged, the victim managed to break free and seek assistance, highlighting the terrifying and coercive nature of the robbery. Both victims recounted enduring significant humiliation and trauma during the court proceedings.

Judge Simon Drew KC, presiding over the case at Birmingham Crown Court, condemned the “really nasty offences.” He highlighted that the crimes occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period when many individuals felt particularly vulnerable and isolated, and that Brown and her accomplices exploited this isolation by targeting men seeking solace online.

Brown, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery, fraud, and assaulting an emergency worker, receiving a nine-year custodial sentence. Her co-defendant, Damani Scott-Slue, 25, from Handsworth, was handed a six-year prison sentence after being convicted of one robbery offence following a trial. Both defendants will serve 40 per cent of their sentences behind bars.

Police traced Brown through the IP address linked to the fraudulent iPhone purchase. In January this year, officers located her at a multi-occupancy house in Tamworth while responding to welfare concerns. During her arrest, Brown resisted, repeatedly striking a female constable with her feet, leading to the additional charge.

Defence counsel for Brown, who has one child and no prior criminal record, cited “long-standing vulnerabilities and complex trauma” as contributing factors to her actions. Her personal circumstances were reportedly so severe that she requested to remain in custody after entering her guilty plea, indicating a profound level of personal distress.

Damani Scott-Slue, a father with previous convictions for theft, appeared via video link from HMP Birmingham. His defence argued that he was immature, under the influence of drugs, and manipulated at the time of the offences. Despite his challenging experience in prison, Scott-Slue had reportedly secured various jobs, demonstrating efforts towards rehabilitation.

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Keywords: Caprice Brown, dating app robberies, hotel assaults, Birmingham crime, violent robbery sentence, Jurys Inn incident, Britannia Hotel Coventry, Damani Scott-Slue