09/05/2025
A man who sexually assaulted a woman as she walked along a canal towpath has been jailed
Constantin Radu grabbed the woman from behind as she walked under a bridge near Wilford Street, Nottingham, on the evening of Friday 1 November last year.
He then assaulted her over her clothing before calmly leaving the scene
Thanks to a description given by the victim, Radu was found by officers nearby and arrested.
Whilst in custody he then exposed himself to a female police officer who visited his cell.
Radu, aged 32, was remanded into custody and later pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure.
He also admitted two other charges of exposure in the city centre – one on the day of the attack when he exposed himself on a bench, and another on October 30 when he exposed himself to two young women.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court today (Friday 9 May) Radu, of no fixed address, was jailed for 33 months.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that will restrict his activities when he is released from prison.
The order includes a ban on entering land adjacent to the Nottingham Canal between Beeston Lock and the River Trent.
Any breach of that order may lead to an immediate return to prison.
Detective Inspector Steven King, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Radu deliberately targeted a lone and vulnerable woman as she walked to do some shopping.
“After grabbing her from behind he then put his hand over her mouth before subjecting her to a distressing sexual assault.
“I can only imagine the fear and anxiety she felt at that moment as she wondered what Radu would do next.
“Thanks to the excellent description she was able to give to officers we were quickly able to apprehend this man, who then went on to commit another very serious sexual offence whilst in police custody.
“I am pleased he has now been sentenced and that significant restrictions have been placed on his future actions.
“Because this man should be in no doubt, that if he ever does anything remotely like this again when he is released, he will be going straight back to jail.”
- https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/news/nottinghamshire/news/news/2025/may/jail-for-man-who-sexually-assaulted-woman-on-towpath
- https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/jail-time-nottingham-canal-path-10170306
A sex attacker, who told a probation officer his intention was to rape a woman he grabbed from behind as she walked alone down a canal path in Nottingham, has been jailed for almost three years. Nottingham Crown Court heard how the terrified victim screamed for him to stop when he first put his hands over her mouth to stop her screaming and then grabbed her between the legs as she walked to Sainsbury’s at Castle Marina.
Moments earlier 32-year-old Constantin Radu intentionally exposed himself to walkers on the same path. And the defendant had also two delays earlier carried out the same lewd act to two terrified students as they walked to a nightclub and then again when a female officer came into his cell at the police station to tell him he was going to be charged.
Jailing Radu for two years and nine months, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said: “This was not just a sex assault that involved touching her, this was an attack on her which involved you grabbing her by the face, approaching her from behind and putting your hands between her legs. You then told a probation officer it was your intention to rape the woman but I bear in mind that in the forfront of my mind I am not sentencing you for rape.
“But it is a very serious aggravating factor.”
Dawn Pritchard, prosecuting, said the offences all took place in a two-day period late last year. She said on October 30, two students were in Nottingham city centre and as they walked through the new gardens in Listergate they spotted Radu who had his hands down the front of his trousers and was “rubbing himself” sexually.
She said: “He was looking directly at them as he did so, they were scared and so went to the nightclub and told the security there.