Men jailed after woman kidnapped and raped

Two men have been jailed for the kidnap and rape of a woman after she left a nightclub in Staffordshire.

Iulian Lupu and Romeo-Kiristian Macovei, both of Liverpool Road, Stoke-on-Trent, approached the woman in the early hours of 10 December 2023 in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The next thing the victim remembered was waking up at an address in Stoke-on-Trent. Lupu and Macovei were both there and one was naked, Staffordshire Police said.

The woman made her way home before reporting the incident to police and the two men were identified and arrested a few days later.

Following a trial last year, Macovei, 32, was found guilty of rape and kidnap while Lupu, 57, 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 sexual offence.

They were both jailed for 18 years during a hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Monday.

Det Con Tiffany Berry, of Staffordshire Police, said both men had been brought to justice as a result of the woman's bravery.

"This incident has been incredibly traumatising for the survivor who has continued to show immense courage throughout the investigation," she said.

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