Man Jailed For 16 years For Felixstowe Rape

28 November 2014, 06:15 | Updated: 28 November 2014, 06:23

A man, who raped an elderly woman at her home near Felixstowe, has been jailed for 16 years.

39 year old Adrian Udrea, from Blyford Way in the town, broke into the lady's flat in the Walton area of the town in the early hours of Sunday 28th September.

Police were contacted by the victim and following extensive enquiries, which involved trawling through CCTV footage, speaking to people living locally and gathering forensic evidence, Udrea was arrested on Tuesday 30 September in connection with the offence.

Udrea was later charged with rape and burglary and entered a guilty plea to these charges on 17 October. He then appeared in Ipswich Crown Court yesterday (27 November) and was sentenced to 16 years.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Smith from the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team said: "The sentencing today reflects the severity of the crime committed by Udrea. For an elderly lady to be subjected to such a horrific, degrading and vile act in her own home is beyond all comprehension.

"Udrea broke into this elderly lady's home late at night whilst she was sleeping, he raped her and stole jewellery from her and from her home.

"We cannot praise the victim enough for the bravery and determination she has shown in such terrible circumstances. Her actions in immediately reporting this abhorrent crime and the invaluable assistance she gave the enquiry team helped us to identify and arrest Udrea quickly.

"I am very proud of the work undertaken by both police and partner agency staff in this case. All have been deeply affected by this incident and all were incredibly determined to help this vulnerable victim and bring this dangerous offender to justice.

"The significant evidence gathered by our investigation has contributed to our securing an early guilty plea and thankfully this has saved the victim from going through the added trauma of a trial.

"We will continue to do all we can to try to support the victim recognising that she may never fully recover from what has happened to her."

Statement from the victim's family:

"As a family we would like to thank the Suffolk Police for their dedication, commitment, hard work and compassion shown during this difficult time.  We are extremely grateful for all the support and help we have received from a number of agencies including Social Care Services, The NHS and The Sexual Assault Referral Centre along with the kindness shown to us by the community of Felixstowe and beyond.   Without everyone's help and support we would not have coped.

"We are pleased with today's sentence and just hope that we can come now come to terms with what has happened and have some kind of peace in the future."