Romanian serial rapist struck again days after arriving in Britain

A Romanian criminal, who had twice been convicted of rape in his home country, struck again just a week after arriving in the UK, it has emerged.

Mihai Roban, 47, had only been in the country a matter of days when he attacked a woman as she walked home from a bar in Finchley, north London.

He took the woman behind a public toilet and raped her but was caught after a passer-by heard the victim's cries for help and raised the alarm.

Roban was arrested and charged with rape but maintained his innocence up until the eve of the trial when he eventually pleaded guilty.

He appeared at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday where he was jailed for seven years and eight months and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

After police began investigating the attack, which took place in January, they discovered he had twice been convicted of rapes in his native Romania.

The case will raise questions as to whether he should have been allowed into the UK in the first place and whether the authorities were aware of his past offencing.

Detective Sergeant Michael Daly, from the Metropolitan Police, said: "Roban had only been in the country for a week when he carried out this attack.

"When we conducted inquiries with police in his home country of Romania we discovered that he had two previous convictions for rape and prison is the right place for him.

"He maintained his innocence until the week before the trial was due to start which brought further anguish to his victim.

"The victim has been incredibly strong throughout the investigation and I hope that knowing Roban will be in prison for some time will help her to move on from her horrible ordeal.

"I also wish to thank the member of the public for doing the right thing and calling the police when they heard the victim's calls for help, as well as the investigation team for their excellent work and their continued dedication supporting victims of rape and bringing the offenders to justice."