Bernadin Dedic: ‘Cowardly’ rapist on the run after prison release error jailed in his absence
A “cowardly” rapist who was mistakenly released from prison and is on the run in Europe has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in his absence.
Bernadin Dedic, 48, was convicted last month of repeatedly raping a woman whom he held at knifepoint and threatened to kill her in a difficult process that lasted for hours.
Dedic was detained at HMP Wormwood Scrubs ahead of his trial, but was mistakenly released in February after a court official mistakenly recorded that he had been granted bail.
After his release, Dedic traveled to his native Bosnia and refused to return to England to attend his trial.
The court heard evidence that Dedic drank wine and snorted cocaine before holding the victim at knifepoint, cutting off her clothes and threatening to kill her and herself.
On Friday Dedic was sentenced in absentia at Isleworth Crown Court, with Judge Hannah Duncan saying he “refused to return to the UK for his sentence, just as he refused to return to the UK for his trial”.
He added that it was Dedic’s choice not to be represented by a lawyer and that no defense lawyer was present.
The judge said he knew the official position was “to neither approve nor deny when it comes to extradition” but asked if there was an update to the prosecution.
He also said Interpol’s blue notice request to law enforcement agencies around the world for assistance in gathering information about a person’s identity, location or activities should also be published.
Prosecutor Simon Sandford said: “I know the CPS have said nothing about this, but I understand the officer is still pursuing the matter.”
In a victim’s personal statement read by the prosecution, the victim said he “cannot recover” while extradition remains unresolved and Dedic remains abroad.
He said: “The criminal was released by mistake while in detention and left the country.
“I can’t put into words what this did to me.
“How is a man accused of rape allowed to leave the country undetected while in detention?
“I’m relieved that the truth has been realized, but the man who raped me never had to stand in that courtroom, may never be personally punished, and can stay abroad.”
He added that he withdrew from almost everyone, stopped trusting people, and his relationship with himself changed.
He said: “I cannot begin to heal until the sentencing and extradition process is resolved and he remains abroad.”
Judge Duncan sentenced Dedic to 18 years in prison, with a five-year extension in his absence.
He said: “I’m sure he knows his sentence for today is listed and he still refuses to return.
“It is quite clear that he was too much of a coward to face the consequences of his disgusting behavior.”
Last month, following his conviction, Dedic told the Press Association in a telephone interview from Bosnia that he did not intend to return to the UK for his sentencing hearing.
He complained that his trial had been unfair, claimed he was suffering from a condition that now prevented him from being in confined spaces such as airplanes, and suggested he would be prepared to travel to the UK only if he was allowed a second hearing.
Regarding his claims that he would return to England for the second trial, Judge Duncan said: “I believe, even for the moment, that he has been convicted and that I do not have the authority to order a retrial.”
Dedic’s release came after a preliminary hearing at Isleworth Crown Court in February, when an official accidentally scrambled through digital case files and sent a message to the prison saying he had been released on bail.
As his trial began, Dedic claimed he had suffered a skiing injury that prevented him from travelling, had difficulty obtaining a visa and suffered chest pain on the way to the airport.
In his absence, jurors found Dedic guilty of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, threatening a person with a knife while in a private place, and threatening to kill.
