Man jailed for attempting predatory street rape on woman before kicking and stamping on her friend

Costache-Flaviuis Ruset, 30, has jailed for nine years with an extended licence period of six years after pleading guilty to attempted rape, assault by penetration, attempted grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Winchester Crown Court at a previous hearing.

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The court heard that at 4.31am on Saturday, February 17, a CCTV operator, monitoring the town’s CCTV cameras, became aware of a suspicious incident involving a man and two women on Timberlake Road, Basingstoke.

The CCTV operator immediately alerted police directly through the police radio link when he saw the man pull one of the women to the ground and start assaulting her.

The court was told that two women, both in their 20s, had been walking home from a night out in Basingstoke when one of the women went to look for an item they had dropped.

Whilst waiting for her friend on Timberlake Road, the other woman was approached by a man unknown to her. The man, Ruset, pushed the woman to the ground and then attempted to rape her. The woman’s friend returned moments later which caused Ruset to get up.

Both women started to walk away when Ruset ran up behind them and kicked the friend on her back, causing her to fall to the ground. He then stamped on her head and punched her several times while she lay on the ground.

He then turned to the first woman and assaulted her, causing her to fall to the ground. Upon hearing police sirens and seeing blue lights, Ruset ran off.

Police officers gave chase whilst the CCTV controller continued to follow Ruset on the CCTV cameras, giving the officers direct commentary as to Ruset’s locations and direction of travel.

The CCTV controller watched Ruset hide behind some commercial bins in Feathers Yard and informed officers. Ruset was arrested at 4.36am and subsequently charged.

Ruset, of Marks Lane, Basingstoke admitted the charges when he appeared at Winchester Crown Court in March.

Appearing at the same court , he was jailed for nine years, with an extended licence period of six years, taking the total sentence to 15 years.

Det Insp Mike Higgins said: ‘This was a terrifying incident that has had a significant impact on both the women involved.

‘I would like to praise them for the strength they have shown during this fast paced investigation. I hope that now Ruset is in prison this will go some way to helping them move forward and begin to rebuild their lives.

‘I would also like to commend the CCTV controller for his quick response to the incident and calling us when he noticed something wasn’t right. His actions allowed us to stop Ruset and prevent the women coming to further harm.

‘Ruset is a dangerous, predatory man and he will now spend a long time in prison for what he did. No-one should have to feel in fear of their safety when walking the streets, no-matter what time of day or night it is. Everyone should feel safe and protected within our communities and violence of any kind will not be tolerated.’