Girl, 14, thought she was getting into a taxi – not the car of a sex beast rapist | UK | News
A man who raped a 14-year-old girl in an Aberdeen car park after offering her a lift home has been jailed for 12 years. Victor Popa, 35, attacked the teenager after picking him up from the taxi rank in the early hours of January 15, 2023.
Popa subjected the girl to a serious sexual assault while she repeatedly “passed out” in Gordon’s Mills Place, Scotland. A judge told the court the girl had since “lived a waking nightmare” and later left school because she was bullied about the rape. Popa denied any wrongdoing but was convicted following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in January. On Wednesday, March 18, the 35-year-old was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the same court and his name was added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
The court heard the 14-year-old had been out drinking with friends but left them and went to a taxi rank to get home. Popa, a stranger to the girl and not a taxi driver, offered to get in the car and take her home. The judge said he waited “for a long time” but the taxi did not arrive. Popa’s car arrived and he thought [he] It was a taxi.”
Judge Alison Stirling said her actions had caused “permanent psychological and physical harm” and that the girl continued to suffer from “complex post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression”. Referring to a victim impact statement, the judge said: “The emotional impact of the rape was huge and she feels it will last forever.
“She has been having a recurring waking nightmare since she was 14. Having to tell her mother was awful because she knew her mother would be very upset. Telling the police and going to STD and pregnancy tests left her feeling dirty and humiliated.”
A non-harassment order banning Popa from contacting or attempting to communicate with the victim was also granted indefinitely by the judge.
The Crown Office and Prosecutor Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the prosecution case brought together “multiple pieces of evidence”, including CCTV and text messages, that supported the girl’s account of what happened.
Medical evidence of an injury that likely occurred while he was unconscious was also presented to the jury.
Police Scotland Det Ch Insp Steven McDonald said: “This incident was extremely frightening for the girl who just wanted to return home.
“Popa is a dangerous individual who poses a risk to women and girls and took advantage of this young girl’s vulnerability.”
