Northampton man, 25, guilty of raping woman during 'horrific' incident

A man found guilty of raping a woman in Northampton will be sentenced next month.

Nicu Botnari, aged 25, of Headlands, appeared in Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday December 14, Northamptonshire Police said in a statement today, and was was found guilty of one count of rape but not guilty on another . He will be sentenced on January 23 next year.

After the case, lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Andrea Taylor, said: “This was an absolutely horrific incident for this woman to go through and I am so pleased for her that we have had a positive result from court. This case has had an enormous impact on her and she still struggles every day with memories of the assault.

“Though nothing will erase what happened to her, she can be proud that her bravery in coming forward and supporting this case throughout has resulted in a rapist being taken off our streets, unable to harm anyone else.

“Reporting sexual assault to the police is not an easy thing to do by any means. We realise that it is an extremely daunting prospect and so I want to reassure people that when we do get reports of this nature that they are treated with sensitivity and compassion. We will believe you, we will support you, and we will do everything we can to put the person who did this behind bars.”

■ If you are not yet ready to speak to the police, please contact victim support group Voice by clicking www.voicenorthants.org or call 0300 303 1965.