Man and 17-year-old jailed for rape of woman they spotted walking alone in Cambridge
A man and a 17-year-old have been jailed after forensic evidence linked them to the rape of a woman they saw walking alone in Cambridge city centre.
Florin Sardaru, 25, and the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, drove from London and in the early hours of February 13 this year saw a woman in Sidney Street.
After leading here into a car, they drove her to a secluded location outside of the city, where they both raped her.
They then drove her back into the city, where she contacted police.
Officers from the Rape Investigation Team (RIT) worked alongside other specialist units to identify the suspects.
They found CCTV showing the predatory movements of the pair prior to the offence and the moment where she was taken to the car and driven away.
They traced the car to an address in London, where it had been sold within hours of the rape.
The vehicle was seized and key evidence recovered.
The suspects were identified and arrested on March 4 but gave no account of their crime in interview and initially pleaded not guilty to rape.
After forensic and CCTV evidence proved beyond doubt that they had raped the woman, Sardaru, of Shrubland Road, London, and the 17-year-old changed their plea to guilty on the first day of their trial at Cambridge Crown Court on September 5.
They were sentenced on Friday (November 4) at the same court.
Sardaru was jailed for 12 years and four months, while the 17-year-old was given a sentence of seven years and 11 months.
They were both placed on the Sex Offenders Register, handed Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and indefinite restraining orders against the victim.
Det Insp Helen Tebbit said: “I would like to commend the survivor of this horrific case for her courage and support during the police investigation.
“The level of offending in this case is amongst the most serious imaginable and the RIT were committed to quickly identifying and prosecuting those involved.
“The two defendants displayed significant predatory behaviour whilst within Cambridge City centre before locating the victim. The victim was vulnerable at the time of the offence and this vulnerability has been exploited by them.
“Perpetrators of serious sexual violence will not be tolerated, and I encourage victims of sexual violence to report incidents and concern to us.
“The case shows the value of forensic evidence and the effectiveness of our Sexual Assault Referral Centre.”
Following the sentencing, the force said it had been working hard to improve its response to incidents involving violence against women and girls, building long-term cultural change and restoring public confidence in the police.