Iulian Lupu, 57, and Romeo-Kristian Macovei, 32, were found guilty by a jury of targeting the woman – who suddenly woke up in an ‘unknown address’ after being kidnapped outside a nightclub
Two men who kidnapped a woman outside nightclub before taking her to a nearby property to sexually assualt are awaiting sentencing after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually abusing her.
Iulian Lupu, aged 57, and Romeo-Kristian Macovei, aged 32, both of Liverpool Road, Stoke, were found guilty by a jury of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the woman following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court earlier this year. Lupu was convicted of two charges of sexual assault, one count of kidnap, and one charge of committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence. Macovei was convicted of rape and kidnap.
Staffordshire Police say the woman had left a nightclub in Newcastle-under-Lyme when she was approached by Lupu and Macovei in the street. She told officers that the next thing she remembered was waking up in an “unknown address” in Stoke-on-Trent with both of the men, one of whom was naked.
She then went home and called the police, reports Stoke on Trent Live. Detective Constable Tiffany Berry, of the force’s rape and serious sexual offences team (RASSO), said: “This was a particularly traumatising incident for the survivor who has shown immeasurable bravery in coming forward and telling us about what happened. Without her strength and support throughout this investigation, this conviction would not have been possible.
“I’d also like to recognise the robust work that our specialist officers did to investigate this crime and bring two dangerous sex offenders to justice. Lupu and Macovei were quickly identified, and, despite their denial, we recovered enough evidence to remand them and put them before a jury.”
The defendants are awaiting sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, and have been remanded in custody until that date.
In a statement relating to the incident last year, Staffordshire Police said “Two men have been charged following reports of a sexual assault in North Staffordshire. Iulian Lupu, 56, and Romeo-Kristian Macovei, 31, both of Stoke-on-Trent, both appeared at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre today (14 December) charged with kidnap/false imprisonment with intent to commit a relevant sexual offence.
“It comes after we received a report of a sexual assault in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday (11 December). A woman left a nightclub in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the early hours of Sunday (10 December).”
