Man who raped two 'vulnerable' women including on church grounds jailed after being found guilty in Portsmouth

Ion Gheorghe Tanasie has been sentenced after previously being found guilty of ten sexual offences at Portsmouth Crown Court. He has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, followed by six years on licence, at Salisbury Crown Court on May 17.

Her Honour Judge Evans KC, at Salisbury Crown Court said Tanasie’s actions were ‘brutal, callous and cruel’, and ‘stimulated by the pain and cruelty of his behaviour’.

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She added: ‘Both women were vulnerable and you took advantage to abuse them, and the effects were devastating, with huge psychological impacts on both women.’

The 40-year-old committed the first atrocity in Chichester on the evening of July 24, 2022. Tanasie, of Pound Farm Road, Chichester, raped a woman within the grounds of St Paul’s Church. The victim managed to get to the town centre shortly after the sexual assault.

She met some friends, who then reported it to Sussex Police. Tanasie was nominated as a suspect after the woman’s clothes were examined.

He was identified through Interpol after he was not found on the UK DNA database. Police then received a report of a woman also being raped in The Hornet in North Street.

The offence happened on September 19, 2022, in the evening. Tanasie was seen on CCTV – with officers arresting him within days.

He was charged rape, sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration for the first incident. For the second, he was charged with rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and two counts of sexual assault.

Sussex police detectives linked the two cases, then remanded Tanasie in custody to prevent further offending. The 40-year-old denied the charges, but was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court on February 24, 2023.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Alex Campbell, said: ‘This was a complex investigation where Tanasie deliberately targeted vulnerable women whilst they were out in public.

‘The quick work of the investigation team to link these two offences and identify Tanasie using international DNA databases led to a swift arrest and the removal of a dangerous individual from our streets.

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‘I would like to praise the courage of the victims in this Investigation for coming forward to report these horrendous crimes and their ongoing support through to – and including – the trial.

‘The impact this offending has had on the victims is huge and having to relive that experience through the court process has brought that trauma back. I thank them for their bravery and with them we have been able to get the justice they deserve.’

Chief Inspector Nick Bowman, District Commander for Arun and Chichester, added: ‘This result did not come about by accident; it is through our officers’ tenacity, hard work and support for the victims that provided such strong evidence to the courts for what was an extremely serious and concerning set of behaviours.

‘People should feel confident and safe in their community.’