Following a jury finding him guilty of rape following a trial, 47-year-old Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu Exeter Rapist was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court.
Originally from Romania, Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu was living in the city at the time of the incident in the early hours of Saturday, 18 June 2022.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu denied the crime, but an abundance of DNA, phone and CCTV proof confirmed his conviction.
“I welcome today’s sentence after Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu was found guilty of rape following a trial in May,” Major Crime Investigation Team detective sergeant Samantha Wenham said.
“He targeted a lone female he had never met, attacking her viciously without thinking twice.
“He then returned to where he was staying and bagged his clothes, which he handed to an unaware friend to wash before cutting off his long hair to modify his look and destroy proof linking him to the attack.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu has shown absolutely no regret during this deliberate and planned act.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu is seen in Exeter High Street before the attack, attempting to identify probable targets on CCTV displayed in court. Video footage vividly depicted Vasioiu tracking his victim—a thirty-something woman—through the Iron Bridge district of Exeter.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu then attacked and raped her at St Bartholomew’s Cemetery close to Exe Street after breaking into a jog to catch up with her as she vanished from his line of sight.
Following a significant police reaction and public appeal, Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu was apprehended on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, three days following the attack.
DS Wenham went on: “The public’s response to our appeals was vital in us acquiring the CCTV material that was key in us being able to identify and arrest Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu.
“The investigating team exceeded all expectations to obtain the proof required to establish Vasioiu as the assailant unequivocally.
“This involved many foreign enquiries, which resulted in the team learning Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu had a past conviction in Switzerland that mirrored the incident that took place in Exeter, both in terms of how they were executed and Vasioiu’s activities following the crime.
Crucially, winning the conviction allowed us to reveal Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu’s past lousy character and criminal history with the jury during the trial.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu has spent eighteen years behind bars.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu will spend five more years on an extended licence.
Cosmin-Nicolae Vasioiu is supposed to serve his term in the UK before being transferred to Romania.
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