A convicted drug-dealer has been jailed for raping a woman in an alleyway in Crawley.
The victim, aged 27, was walking alone through Memorial Gardens in the early hours of 1 September 2022 when she approached a man for a cigarette.
He told her to follow him, which she did, and together they walked into an alleyway in Three Bridges Road. It was here that the man raped her.
The victim managed to walk back towards the town centre following the ordeal and the incident was reported to police.
A forensic submission was completed, which returned a DNA hit for Florin Cotoi, 46, of no fixed address.
He was arrested and found to be in possession of clothing matching the description provided by the victim.
He was charged with rape but denied the offence, and the case went for trial.
A jury found him guilty and at Lewes Crown Court on 29 March he was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
The offence activated a suspended sentence in May 2022 for two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs: diamorphine and crack cocaine.
He was subsequently handed a further 12-month consecutive sentence, taking the total sentence to nine years.
He is also now placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Iain MacNab, said:
“This was an opportunist crime committed by a clearly very dangerous man, and thanks to the courage of the victim in coming forward, he has been removed from our streets and now faces many years in prison.
“While no one should have to feel afraid of walking alone at night, we would always recommend that you go with someone you know, or get a taxi or public transport.
“We continue to provide education around Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and support victims of crime. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone – not just women – to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to us immediately.
“This case also demonstrates how vital DNA can be in identifying a suspect and bringing them to justice.”
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