Two men guilty of kidnapping and assaulting woman after night out in Newcastle
The pair will be sentenced in September
Two men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Stoke-on-Trent have been found guilty following a trial in court.
Iulian Lupu, 56, and Romeo-Kristian Macovei, 31, both of Stoke-on-Trent, have been standing trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court since 10 June after they were charged with the offences back in December last year.
The survivor left a nightclub in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the early hours of 10 December 2023 when Lupu and Macovei approached her in the street.
The next thing she remembered was waking up in an unknown address in Stoke-on-Trent. Lupu and Macovei were both inside, and one of them was naked.
She made her way home and reported the incident to police.
On Wednesday (26 June), Lupu and Macovei were found guilty of the offences at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Lupu was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, one count of kidnap and one count of committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence.
Macovei was convicted of the rape of a woman and kidnap.
Both of them will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 12 September.
Detective Constable Tiffany Berry said: “This was particularly traumatising incident for the survivor who has shown immeasurable bravery in coming forward and telling us about what happened.
“Without her strength and support throughout this investigation, this conviction would not have been possible.
“I’d also like to recognise the robust work that our specialist officers did to investigate this crime and bring two dangerous sex offenders to justice. Lupu and Macovei were quickly identified, and, despite their denial, we recovered enough evidence to remand them and put them before a jury.”