Man jailed for eight years after rapes in Nelson
The man raped a woman twice and intimidated her to withdraw her statement
A man who raped a woman twice in Nelson has been jailed for eight years and five months.
Ionut Tanae, 33, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of rape, one count of burglary and two counts of perverting the course of justice by witness intimidation.
The woman shared the emotional toll of the crimes in a statement, saying: “This incident affected me a lot, emotionally speaking. I cried whole days for a month and a half, feeling a deep depression.”
Tanae was proven to have raped the woman twice before breaking into her home. She woke to find him standing over her in the bedroom and he later threatened her to withdraw the police statement she had given.
Preston Crown Court sentenced Tanae to eight years and five months in prison. He also received a 15-year restraining order.
Police praise victim's bravery
DC Sarah Andrews of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team commended the victim’s courage in coming forward, adding: “Tanae’s victim told us that when she woke to find him standing over her bed, she thought he was there to kill her. No one should be made to feel that way, especially in their own home.
“The victim has shown incredible strength in coming forward and reporting this to us and has continued to show that bravery throughout the proceedings. I hope that the knowledge that Tanae has been brought to justice will allow her to begin to move forward.
“Tanae is a despicable rapist. He thought he could rape a woman, then break into her home and try and intimidate her. This behaviour is downright unacceptable, and not something that we will ever allow in Lancashire.
“If you are reading this, and you or someone you know have been a victim of any sexual offence, please know that we will listen to you, we will investigate appropriately and will do all we can to bring the person responsible to justice.”
Police encourage anyone with information about a sexual offence to call 101. If a crime is ongoing, call 999.