Two men jailed for combined total of 35 years after kidnapping, raping and sexually assaulting three women in Northampton

Two men have been jailed for a combined total of 35 years for kidnapping, raping and sexually assaulting three women over the course of 24 hours in Northampton.

Trofim Midoni, 21, of Queen’s Road, The Mounts, and Valeriu Frunza, 24, of Boughton Green Road, Kingsthorpe, were convicted in September after an eight-day trial at Northampton Crown Court.

Frunza was convicted of 12 offences including rape, attempted rape, kidnap and sexual assault. He was given an 18-year sentence before it was extended to 20 years on account of his risk to the public.

Midoni was found guilty of eight offences and sentenced to 13 years, which was then extended to 15 years for the same reason.

The court heard how the pair had preyed on three vulnerable women, who they picked up in Northampton town centre then took to remote locations against their will between December 1 and 2, 2019.

Two of the victims were sexually assaulted and abandoned and the third victim was beaten and raped.

The three women reported the incident to police.

Sentencing the pair at Northampton Crown Court, Judge David Herbert QC described the degradation and humiliation which they had inflicted on their victims. He said Frunza and Midoni had clearly planned what was a joint enterprise and that each had committed multiple offences against three vulnerable victims.

He issued indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPO) for both men.

Detective Inspector Liz Basham, of Northamptonshire Police’s CID team, said: “I’m delighted by this sentencing and the very clear message it sends to these two men.

“They systematically put all three women through the most horrific ordeal that will live with them for the rest of their lives. Midoni and Frunza present a clear danger to women everywhere, so it is reassuring to see they will now be locked up for a long time.”

Detective Constable Megan Scotney, who led the investigation, said: “These women showed tremendous bravery in coming forward to police and for supporting our investigation from start to finish.

“I’m grateful to those members of the public who submitted vital evidence that has led to the conviction of these men. Once again, this case demonstrates how Northamptonshire Police takes all allegations of sexual violence extremely seriously and we will do everything we can to bring such perpetrators to justice.”