A man and a woman have been sentenced to prison after a man raped an unconscious woman while his partner filmed the assault. The pair later attempted to blackmail the victim with the footage.
Vasile Radacanu, 33, and Indre Bruziene, 40, invited the victim to their home in Sheerness on September 18, 2020, where they had alcoholic drinks. The victim became heavily intoxicated and at one point was unconscious. Radacanu then raped her while Bruziene filmed the assault from both outside and inside the house. Evidence showed that Radacanu was aware he was being filmed, as he gestured toward the camera several times. The victim woke up the next morning in her own bed with no memory of the previous night’s events.
On March 15, 2021, the victim received a phone call from Bruziene, who accused her of breaking up her family. Bruziene then sent the victim footage of the rape and demanded £5,000, threatening to send the video to the victim’s husband if she didn’t pay. The distressed victim refused to pay, instead telling her family and contacting the police.
Radacanu and Bruziene were arrested the following day. During the investigation, police seized their phones and charged Radacanu with two counts of rape, attempted rape, and two counts of sexual assault. Bruziene was charged with blackmail. The pair pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court but were convicted on January 28, 2025. On August 14, 2025, Radacanu was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, while Bruziene was sentenced to three years and three months.
Detective Constable Hollie Brown said:
‘The criminal actions of Radacanu and Bruziene were unspeakably vile as they took advantage of a vulnerable victim who was not aware of what was happening to her. As soon as the victim received the video of her abuse from Bruziene she showed great courage in disclosing her ordeal to her family and then contacting the police. Detectives then swiftly secured the offenders phones and they have now, quite rightly, been brought to justice.’