Attacker is found guilty
A Chichester man has been found guilty of ten horrendous offences including the rapes of two women, police said.
Ion Gheorghe Tanasie, 40, of Pound Farm Road, Chichester, was convicted after a jury reached its verdict at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday.
Tanasie’s horrific and public attacks were condemned by detectives who also praised the incredible bravery of his victims in coming forward to support a prosecution against him.
On July 24 last year, Tanasie raped a women in the grounds of St Paul’s Church in Churchside. The victim then made her way into the city centre where she bumped into friends who reported it to police.
After the woman’s clothes were examined, Tanasie was nominated as the suspect. While there was no trace of him on the UK DNA database, he was identified through checks with Interpol, the court heard.
As enquiries continued, police received a report of another rape on the evening of September 19 in The Hornet. The woman was able to report the incident shortly after it occurred. Following a CCTV trawl, Tanasie was identified as the suspect.
Within days he was located, arrested and charged with the following offences for the first incident: rape, sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration.
He was charged with the following offences for the second incident: rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and two counts of sexual assault.
By this time, detectives had linked the two cases and Tanasie was remanded in custody to prevent further offending and to protect the public from harm. He denied the offences and the case went for trial, where he was found guilty by jury of all ten charges. He faces a lengthy prison sentence.
Investigating officer, detective chief inspector Alex Campbell said: “This was a complex investigation where Tanasie deliberately targeted vulnerable women whilst they were out in public.
“The quick work of the investigation team to link these two offences and identify Tanasie using international DNA databases led to a swift arrest and the removal of a dangerous individual from our streets.
“I would like to praise the courage of the victims in this Investigation for coming forward to report these horrendous crimes and their ongoing support through to – and including – the trial.
“The impact this offending has had on the victims is huge and having to relive that experience through the court process has brought that trauma back. I thank them for their bravery and with them we have been able to get the justice they deserve.”
Chief inspector Nick Bowman, district commander for Arun and Chichester, added: “The swift and effective investigation of this appalling case has removed the risk locally from this dangerous individual. I would encourage any victim of any sexual offence to talk to us, we will listen to you and we will help you. Thankfully this type of case is very rare and I am very grateful to the investigation team for their hard work in securing the conviction.”