Adele Rennie: when the voice was part of the lie

A second voice supporting the first

In August 2023, Adele Rennie matched with a woman on Tinder. Flowers arrived; an arranged date was cancelled. Then a voice note from someone calling herself Cheryl urged the woman to give the supposed man another chance. The victim suspected the calls sounded altered.

Sources: Sky News — reporting on the deception and sentence

The messages left a trail

The messages escalated to images of the woman’s workplace and street. Police later examined a phone and found an email address using the male identity and searches for the victim. The apparent relationship left a trail investigators could examine.

Sources: COPFS — prosecution account

The sentence, and the contact that followed

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, Sheriff Patrick imposed 28 months in prison, backdated to November 2023. The sentencing statement described deliberate targeting and serious distress. A five-year non-harassment order barred Rennie from approaching or communicating with the victim; a supervised release order required monitoring after custody.

STV subsequently reported that Rennie was released on January 13, 2025, and contacted the woman ten days later. Her phone stored the victim’s number under another name. Rennie pleaded guilty to breaching the order and received a further 100-day prison sentence in April.

Sources: Judiciary of Scotland — HMA v Adele Rennie · STV News — subsequent breach and sentence

What the deception shows

Our reading of this case is that apparent corroboration deserves scrutiny. A second account supporting the first can still be part of the same deception. Hearing a voice also leaves the question of who controls the profile unresolved.

That does not make the victim responsible for exposing the lie. Here, a woman expressed doubts, and the conduct continued. The practical distinction is between a reassuring interaction and evidence that can be checked independently.

Phone and photo searches can offer clues about an account. Neither kind of lookup can certify someone’s identity or safety.

Explore the checks

Learn what phone and photo searches can return, and how to interpret the findings.