A MAN has been jailed for more than seven years following a rape offence in Reading.
Stefan Paladuta, aged 29 and of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in a hearing at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday, January 14.
A further offence of attempted oral rape was ordered to lie on file (indicating a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to proceed, but to remain noted.)
Paladuta was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison and indefinite placement on the sex offender’s registry.
It follows incidents which took place in June 2017, when the victim, a woman then in her late teens, had fallen asleep on the doorstep of a friend’s house on Oxford Road, Reading.
Paladuta and a friend approached the victim, picked her up, and took her to his home address in Hart Street.
Paladuta then raped the victim twice, and also attempted to orally rape her, before she managed to escape.
He was subsequently identified through DNA evidence and arrested just over a year after the offence, but returned to his native Romania before any charges were laid.
Paladuta was extradited back to the UK to stand trial after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges in 2022.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Maggie Bruce said: “I really want to thank the victim in this case 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 has had difficulties which did not stop her from helping us to pursue justice for her. It has been an incredible journey, which I’m proud to have shared with 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.
“This conviction and sentence demonstrates that Thames Valley Police takes violence against women and girls very seriously and will do all that is necessary to bring offenders to justice, no matter how long this may take.”
