Rapist jailed following extradition from Romania

A Romanian man who was extradited back to the UK after being charged with two counts of rape has been jailed.

Stefan Paladuta attacked the woman, who at the time was in her late teens, at his then-home in Reading in June 2017.

Paladuta returned to his native Romania before any charges were laid, but was extradited back to the UK to stand trial.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of rape during a hearing at Reading Crown Court earlier this month and later sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison.

Police said the woman had fallen asleep on a friend's doorstep when Paladuta picked her up and took her to his home.

Whilst there, he raped her twice and also attempted another sex act before she managed to escape.

He was identified through DNA evidence and was arrested just over a year after the offence, but was not charged until 2022 - by which time had returned to Romania, police said.

Det Sgt Maggie Bruce, Thames Valley Police investigating officer, praised the victim for the "determination that she showed to help bring Paladuta to justice".

"This has been a long and protracted case, and the strength and resilience that she showed has been truly inspirational," she said.

"She has had difficulties which did not stop her from helping us to pursue justice for her.

"The victim should also be immensely proud of what she has achieved and I know that she will go on to achieve great things in her life."

Along with his prison sentence, a further offence of attempted rape was also ordered to lie on Paladuta's file.

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