Two Rapists jailed for combined total of more than 30 years in prison
Two men who raped a woman in Carshalton have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 30 years in prison Radian Cojorcaru, 32 and Gabriel Bejinariu, 20 both of no fixed abode, were both convicted of raping a woman on 14 October last year. Bejinariu pleaded not guilty to rape and was convicted following a trial at Croydon Crown Court in April. He was sentenced to 12 years for aiding and abetting rape and five years for rape, to run consecutively. He was also sentenced to four years for attempted rape, to run concurrently. Cojocaru was sentenced to 12 years in jail and two years on licence after he pleaded guilty to rape and aiding and abetting rape. The court heard the two men met at Victoria Coach Station on 13 October 2018. They travelled to the Carshalton area the next day and then, at 3pm attacked a 53-year-old woman as she approached an alleyway near to Shorts Road, Carshalton. A member of the public – who saw what was happening – challenged the two men and then ran after them. Cojocaru was detained on the carport roof of a nearby house until officers arrived. Cojocaru was arrested and charged on 15 October 2018. Bejinariu was arrested a week later after he was identified on CCTV footage from the coach station. He was arrested on 21 October 2018 and charged two days later. Detective Inspector Keith Ward, of the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit, said: “This was a shocking assault by two strangers on a lone woman in broad daylight. The courage of a member of the public enabled us to arrest one man and I would like to thank him for his brave actions. “The victim has also shown considerable courage to give evidence during Bejinariu’s trial. I’m glad that the prison sentences given to these two men mean they will be off the streets of London for a considerable period of time. “Stranger rapes such as this one understandably cause a considerable amount of fear in communities but, thankfully, they are rare. Thanks to the actions by the member of the public and a swift investigation we were able to quickly apprehend and prosecute the two men responsible for this offence.”
