A MAN described by a judge as "predatory" and a "dangerous offender" has been jailed for attempting to rape one woman and sexually assaulting another woman in February of this year.

Costache-Flaviuis Ruset, 30, of Mark Lane in Basingstoke, attacked the two women at around 4am on February 18, 2023, in Basingstoke town centre.

Ruset pleaded guilty to all six charges filed against him, which included attempted rape, two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, assault, committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence, and sexual assault.

On Monday, June 12, at Winchester Crown Court, he was jailed for nine years with an extended period of six years. He has also been placed on a sexual offenders list for the rest of his life.

Prosecutor Robert Welling presented various CCTV footage from the night of the attack, showing Ruset stalking and attacking the two friends, both in their 20s, who were returning home after a night out.

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Ruset was seen wearing a distinctive long white coat and a baseball cap in the footage.

The videos captured him attempting to rape one woman and attacking and sexually assaulting both victims on Timberlake Road.

The CCTV operator promptly alerted the officers, and although Ruset managed to flee the scene before the police arrived, his movements were tracked.

Despite his attempts to discard his coat and cap while running away, he was later apprehended by the officers at 4.36am and subsequently charged.

Mr Welling said: "The two friends were on a night out on February 17, 2023. Afterwards, they decided to take a taxi home but realised they didn't have enough money, so they chose to walk home."

The court then viewed the footage showing Ruset following and attacking the women.

The court heard that after consuming five beers and half a bottle of spirit, Ruset went out around 3am with the intention of finding women to attack.

The CCTV revealed him prowling around Basingstoke, searching for drunk women.

Upon finding the two friends, he pursued them. The stalking continued for 20 minutes until he seized an opportunity when the friends were separated, and he spotted one woman in an isolated alleyway.

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During the sentencing, Judge Adam Feest KC said: "The footage of the savage attack speaks for itself. What must have felt like a lifetime to her was, in fact, about two minutes. You sexually assaulted her during this sustained attack, which only ended when the other woman came looking for her.

"The distraction was enough for the victim to get up from the ground and run to her friend. Your reaction to this was to pursue them. You violently attacked the other woman from behind, kicking her forcefully in the face while she was already on the ground. Your footprint was left on her head. Furthermore, you sexually assaulted her. You were attempting to rape them. I have no doubt that had the police not arrived, you would have carried out your intentions."

The court also heard moving statements from the victims about the impact of the attack. One of the women concluded her brave and poignant statement by saying, "I feel so sad and angry that this man completely changed me as a person. He has and will continue to affect my life forever."

The judge also acknowledged that the second victim's statement was no less compelling than her friend's.

"The devastation you caused to both victims is an aggravating feature in this case," the judge said.

"You knew she was extremely drunk, and you waited until she was alone and had little chance of resisting your violent attack. I observed your movements that night, and I have no doubt that 'predatory' is the correct way to describe how you persistently followed and attacked the victims.

“Even without the support of a pre-sentence report, I would have been likely to describe you as a dangerous offender”.

In mitigation, defence counsel Nick Tucker asked the court to consider his age, guilty plea and the fact that he has no previous convictions.

Update: A previous version of this article said the incident happened in Andover. The error occurred because it was inadvertently mentioned in the court that the incident happened in Andover. This has been amended now.