A MAN who entered a woman’s bedroom and assaulted and raped her in a “calculated use of violence” has been jailed for six years and nine months.
Andrei Alexandru Dumitrache (29) has also been recommended for deportation to Romania after he has served his sentence.
Addressing Dumitrache at the Royal Court yesterday, Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae, presiding, called the assault a “calculated use of violence to punish, humiliate and degrade your victim”.
He added: “This was a rape of your victim in her own home after you had physically assaulted her, leaving her with physical and psychological injuries.
“Your continued presence is detrimental to the Island.”
Dumitrache, who was known to the victim, entered her bedroom and punched and kicked her, before raping her.
Crown Advocate Luke Sette, prosecuting, described how the victim was “lying there scared”.
In the following days, the victim spoke to friends and colleagues about the incident, who encouraged her to speak to the States police.
She went to Dewberry House, where she underwent a medical examination and gave the first of several statements.
Crown Advocate Sette asked for a ten-year custodial sentence, along with Dumitrache being automatically added to the Sex Offenders Register. He also argued that the defendant, a Romanian national, should be deported.
Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, said the ten-year sentence requested by the prosecution was too high.
She said that he had shown remorse, adding: “When the defendant was made aware of the content of the victim impact statement, he became obviously upset.”
The Deputy Bailiff said: “She says it will take a long time for her to trust anyone again and she is not sure that she will ever get over the experience of being attacked in this way.”
Dumitrache originally entered not-guilty pleas for all three offences, denying that he had even been to the victim’s home.
This, the court heard, meant that the victim went through a period of several months when she thought she would have to give evidence in court. However, his eventual guilty plea was taken into account in the sentence, as it meant the victim did not need to give evidence during a trial.
Dumitrache was yesterday given a 15-month sentence for the assault and two six-year and nine-month sentences for two counts of rape, relating to the same incident, to run concurrently.
He has also been automatically placed on the Sex Offenders Register, has been handed a restraining order and will be recommended for deportation.
The Jurats sitting were Lieutenant-Bailiff Robert Christensen, Kim Averty, Gareth Hughes, Karen Le Cornu and Michael Berry.
Police Sergeant James Clark said: “I hope that today’s sentencing offers the victim in this case some form of closure. We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are able to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process.
“We continue to work alongside partners, especially support and advocacy services such as the SARC, Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support (JDAS), JAAR (Jersey Action Against Rape) and the Jersey Women’s Refuge, to encourage victims of sexual crime to report such incidents. It is important that people know that they can contact these services for advice, and support, without an obligation to pursue a criminal investigation.”
