Man jailed for rape and attempted rape in Warrington
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A man has been jailed for the rape and attempted rape of two women in Warrington.
Mariyan Grudev, formerly of Thelwall Lane, Latchford, Warrington, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 6 February after previously pleading guilty to one count of attempted rape.
The 39-year-old was also found guilty of one count of rape after a trial in July 2024.
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On Saturday 29 July 2023, at around 3.10am, a woman was walking along Winwick Road when a man, who was unknown to the woman, began following her.
He then grabbed her from behind and attempted to drag her into bushes. Thankfully, the woman escaped unharmed and sought help from a passing taxi driver.
A media appeal was subsequently issued by Cheshire Police using a CCTV image of the suspect. He was later confirmed to be Grudev, who was arrested on Sunday 30 July 2023 and later charged with attempted rape on Tuesday 1 August 2023.
Following these charges, he was investigated as a suspect in a previous similar incident in Warrington. This occurred on Sunday 22 December 2019, when a woman who had been on a night out in Warrington town centre was walking back to her address at around 2.20am, and described being approached by a man.
The victim was not able to recall the exact events following this interaction but she was in pain and believed she had been raped.
Forensic swabs taken from the victim did not come back with any results or DNA matches at the time. In 2023, following Grudev’s arrest, his DNA was tested against DNA from the 2019 incident, which provided a match. He was subsequently charged with rape in November 2023.
On top of his custodial sentence, Grudev will also need to sign the Sex Offender Register.
Detective Constable Paul Beesley, of Warrington CID, said:
“Firstly, I would like to commend the bravery of the two victims who went through such traumatic events but found the courage to report what happened to them and engage with the subsequent investigations.
“Grudev is evidently a dangerous individual, on both occasions targeting women who were walking home following nights out. He was clearly only thinking about satisfying his own twisted sexual desires, with no regard for how his victims must have felt and the lasting consequences of his despicable actions.
“I hope the fact that Grudev is now behind bars will give the victims some sense of closure, with the knowledge that he cannot do this to anyone else.”
To report any sexual offence call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or visit cheshire.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Information can also be passed anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.