Indian-origin man charged with deceiving woman

An Indian-origin man in the Australian state of Victoria has been charged with deceiving a woman about his appearance on a dating website and then engaging in sexual activity with her, media reported Tuesday.

Deepak Dhankar pleaded guilty to the charge of procuring sexual penetration by fraud in October 2012, the Melbourne Age reported.

Dhankar, a man of Indian descent and of average build, deceived the woman into believing that he was a muscular, blond-haired Caucasian man named "Jamie" while chatting on dating website Oasis, the Victoria County Court in Melbourne heard Tuesday.

He engaged in sexual activity with her only on the condition she kept her eyes closed.

Prosecutor Russ Hammill said the woman kept her eyes closed while with the man, and that it was only when they were in the shower -- when one of the woman's children stirred in bed -- that she found that the man's skin was dark.

The court was told the woman consented to the sexual activity, but only because she thought she was with "Jamie" at the time.

Hammill said once the woman realised who she was actually with, she became fearful for her safety and that of her children, and decided to "play along" until he left her home.

Afterwards, she confronted him over the deception, at which Dhankar pleaded with her not to report him to the police, the court heard.

He called her repeatedly that night and the next day sent her a photograph of two girls and claimed they would be without a father if he was sent to jail, the court was told.

The woman said she had been humiliated, angered, and saddened by the ordeal, which had also left her suffering anxiety and panic attacks.

The court heard Dhankar had never shown any intention to harm the woman.

Dhankar is on bail and will be sentenced later this month.