2 days ago
Romanian man accused of sex assault deemed ‘flight risk' and refused bail
Defence counsel Katriona Keenan had she urged the court to 'give him a chance'
A Romanian man who had to be extradited from the Republic to face an allegation of sexual assault, was refused bail today.
Mihai Popescu appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court by video link from HMP Maghaberry where the 41-year-old applied for bail.
Popescu, listed as 'current address unknown,' faces charges of sexual assault and handling stolen goods, namely the complainant's mobile phone, between 18-20 April 2019.
A detective told the court it was in the early hours of 20 April 2019 when police 'received a report that a 24-year-old female had been raped.'
Officers attended an address in the city and found the complainant 'extremely upset,' he said.
The alleged victim recounted how she had gone back to her friend's address but because she was so tired, 'she went to bed and went straight to sleep.'
Sometime later, 'she awoke to feel her trousers pulled down and a hand rubbing at the top of her leg,' said the officer, adding that 'before police arrived, she said that one of the males had taken her mobile phone.'
Police rang the phone 'to try to ascertain where the phone was, a male with a foreign accent answered the phone, swore and hung up.'
The victim was taken to the rape enquiry centre and endured a medical examination before recording an Achieving Best Evidence video interview with detectives.
The court heard that Popescu was arrested as he matched the description of the alleged assailant, and when he was searched, officers found the complainant's stolen mobile phone.
Having been interviewed by police, Popescu was freed on police bail pending further enquires and forensics examinations, 'but he failed to return.'
'We ascertained that he had left the country in breach of bail conditions,' said the officer, adding that extradition proceedings were then initiated.
He told the court police were objecting to bail because 'obviously, he poses a flight risk…he was out of the country for approximately four years.'
Submitting that Popescu could be granted bail with conditions, defence counsel Katriona Keenan explained how the defendant's home had been damaged.
'Police attended and told them to leave the area and at that stage, they had no jobs and no money so they went to their family home but came back around a year later,' said the barrister.
Revealing that Popescu was in Belfast for a time, Miss Keenan said that since then, the couple had settled in Dublin where they both worked.
Although she urged the court to 'give him a chance,' Deputy District Judge Alan White told her: 'I hear what you say but the fact remains, he was extradited.'
'He has had four or five years to hand himself in and even though he came back, he did not hand himself in,' said the judge.
Refusing bail and remanding Popescu back into custody until 21 August, Judge White told the court, 'in my view he remains a flight risk.'
