A Melbourne man who pleaded guilty to raping and sexually assaulting women he met through the dating app Tinder has been sentenced in the Melbourne County Court to 14 years and nine months in jail.

Key points: Hartland was sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault

Hartland was sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault The judge called him a predator who held his victims hostage to his "dysfunctional personality"

The judge called him a predator who held his victims hostage to his "dysfunctional personality" Hartland will serve a non-parole period of 11 years

In October, Glenn Hartland, 44, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and one charge of sexual assault.

He met the women via Tinder between January 2014 and June 2016 and had brief relationships with them.

County Court Judge Paul Higham said the online world "provides a fertile landscape where predators can roam".

"Once your victims fell into your orbit, they were made hostage and held hostage to your dysfunctional personality," he said.

The court heard in each instance, the sexual violence occurred when the women had tried to break up with him.

Judge Higham said Hartland showed no remorse or insight into his actions, and imposed a non-parole period of 11 years.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 31 seconds 1 m 31 s Victim hopes to move on after rapist sentenced

Some members of the public clapped after the sentence was handed down, but they were rebuked by Judge Higham.

"No, this is not a public spectacle. We do not do public hangings. It is not a circus," he said.

Judge Higham said the impact of Hartland's offending had been lasting and "deeply traumatic".

"It has reduced strong, confident and empowered women to fearful and uncertain shells of their former selves," he said.

Three of the women were raped in their homes after breaking up with Hartland.

On two of those occasions, the court heard, Hartland's fiancee had been waiting in her car for him.

The judge said Hartland showed no remorse or insight into his actions. ( Zomato )

"Rape has nothing to do with desire. It has nothing to do with sexual attraction," Judge Higham told Hartland.

"It is a crime of invasive violence. It uses the physical expressions of intimacy to exert power, control and dominance."

The court heard New Zealand-born Hartland had been abandoned by his mother as a child and had been a ward of the state.

He also pleaded guilty to one charge of using a computer or phone to menace, harass or offend, another charge of distributing an intimate image and two charges of contravening a family violence intervention order.

Supporters of the victims wore red hearts as part of a campaign against domestic violence.

'Know we will stand beside you'

One of the victims said in a statement that people should believe women who have experienced "gendered crime" and to support them to get the justice they deserve.

She said they acknowledged it was difficult for women to stand up for their abusers.

"We want all women to know how healing it is to be able to tell their story and to have their voice heard," she said in a statement.

"Never be ashamed of what happened to you nor allow it to define you.

"For those that come after us, we support you and hope that our determination inspires you to find the courage within you to take a stand and bring your perpetrator to account for the violence they inflicted upon you.

"To the women who have been abused by this man, we encourage you to come forward."

One of the victims said she could feel Hartland's "attitude" from across the courtroom. ( ABC News )

She added that one of the victims has since died.

"It would be a travesty to lose another woman to this man's violence," she said.

"Don't let men's violence be your story. Know that we will stand beside you."

Another victim said it was a fair sentence that gave the victims a little closure to move forward now.

"It's been extremely difficult from the beginning," she said.

"Luckily we've had the support of each other and close friends helped us to get to this point, otherwise I really don't know how women go through this process at all."

Judge Paul Higham's sentencing remarks:

Names have been changed to protect the identities of victims.

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