A man who raped a woman he met on Tinder following their first date at Soho House avoided jail time after expressing a desire to be a good boyfriend.
William Hathaway, 33, was sentenced to therapy and 10 years of probation after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at his Manhattan apartment in 2020.
In a peculiar defense, Hathaway argued to the court that he should be spared incarceration because he is now seeking a serious relationship and wishes to improve his future.
‘Since my arrest, I’ve tried to respond to this experience in ways that reflect loyalty and responsibility,’ he told the court.
‘I now date with the intention of long term relationships… I want to be a good boyfriend, a good husband, a good father one day.’
While prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence of four years in prison, a judge decided to go with a slap on the wrist.
‘I’m not sure if this sentence is what’s the right answer or should you be sitting in a jail cell for a while to get a sense of what incarceration is about,’ stated Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft, according to the New York Post.
‘But I do find the probationary sentence will at least get you the help so you do not hurt another individual again.’
William Hathaway, 33, was spared jail time after being convicted of raping a woman after their first date in New York City
Prosecutors revealed that Hathaway met the victim on Tinder a few days before their initial outing at Soho House, an exclusive members club in the Meatpacking District.
In an unusual defense, Hathaway claimed in court that he should avoid jail because he now seeks a meaningful relationship and aims for a positive future.
Hathaway, who now lives in Miami, must enroll in a sex offender treatment program and register as a sex offender as part of his sentence.
A jury convicted Hathaway of rape in the third degree in April.
Prosecutors said Hathaway, then 27, met the 23-year-old victim on the dating app Tinder.
The two met in person a few days later at the exclusive members club Soho House on February, 15, 2020, before Hathaway took the victim back to his West Village apartment and raped her without a condom.
The victim said in court before the sentencing that Hathaway ‘took her voice and dignity’ when he ‘decided to do whatever he wanted’ with her.
She added that she has battled an alcohol addiction and suicidal thoughts since she was raped.
Prosecutors said Hathaway and the victim first had consensual sex but that he did not stop when she asked him to.
They told the court the victim told Hathaway to stop at least five times as she pushed on his chest but was ignored.
‘To not sentence this defendant to a period of incarceration for his conduct would be adhering the outdated concept that there needs to be some form of violence or force to constitute rape,’ said Manhattan District Attorney Ashley Durkin.
Hathaway pictured on social media with his sister
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft decided therapy was the best punishment
Hathway, seen with his lawyer on Tuesday, said he was just trying to have a ‘fun date’
‘He took away a part of me that I can never have back,’ the victim told the court.
‘For what? To please himself. All he was thinking about was himself.’
Hathaway, on his part, said he was simply trying to have a ‘fun date’ and apologized to the victim during the sentencing hearing.
His lawyer told the court the victim had withdrawn her consent ‘approximately one minute’ before the rape ended as he asked the judge to spare his client from serving prison time.
According to the Post, Hathaway was charged with a similar offense in the summer of 2020 but was acquitted in a 2023 trial.
The jury and judge in the case he was convicted in would not have been aware of the previous case as it was sealed.
