Locations
Stuart Street, Leicester, LE3
Description
A Leicester DPD delivery driver sexually assaulted multiple women in a village in just two days. The actions of Ionut Torodoc, who also took a photo of one of his victims, was labelled "disturbing" by the recorder who jailed him today (Thursday, November 14).
Torodoc, of Stuart Street in Leicester's Westcotes, engaged in a series of disturbing actions including touching, kissing, and grabbing five different victims. The incidents happened over a two-day period in the Nottinghamshire village of East Leake, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Nottingham Crown Court heard how the assaults began on Tuesday, May 21 when Torodoc parked his van in front of a woman's car to deliver a parcel. Prosecutor Thomas Welshman said: "She had her nine-year-old son in the car but got out as she recognised the defendant and opened her house so she could take the parcel in. He told her she was a 'beautiful girl' and tried to kiss her but she turned away.
"She was shocked and returned to her car and he got in and sat in the front passenger seat and said 'let's go' before turning to her son in the back seat and telling him 'your mum is very beautiful'. He then got out of the car and said 'you must order more parcels'."
The second incident happened just 20 minutes later when Torodoc delivered another parcel in the village. When the female resident answered the door, he placed it on the floor and as she picked it up, he put his hand on her thigh, telling her she had a "nice tattoo".
Mr Welshman said Torodoc then pushed "his hand further up her thigh and started to grab her shorts". He said: "[Torodoc] told her 'I need to get a photo' and took a photo from above and when she saw it, it was not of the parcel but just her body. He said 'I had to get your legs in'."
The third victim was at her workplace when Torodoc arrived with a delivery, claiming to be unwell. He was given a glass of water and something to eat. While there, he kissed one of the female workers on the cheeks before "grabbing her face and kissing her on the mouth".
Mr Welshman stated: "She felt him trying to put his tongue in her mouth and clenched her teeth together to prevent this from happening."
The fourth victim was at East Leake Leisure Centre when she was approached by Torodoc a few hours later. He had just made a delivery when he "grabbed" the woman and tried to pull her close to him.
The following day (Wednesday, May 22), Torodoc targeted his fifth victim - a 17-year-old girl who was walking to work. Court heard how he pulled up alongside the teenager and asked her for a light before grabbing her hand.
Mr Welshman said: "She walked off and he followed her in the van wound down his window and said 'where do you work, I will take you, get in'. She said 'get away from me' and when she got to work she suffered a panic attack and had to be sent home."
Court was also told that prior to the East Leake offences, Torodoc had picked up a boy who was at a self-service checkout at a Leicester Tesco Express with his mother. Prosecutors said the boy's mum demanded he put him down, telling Torodoc he should not do that and he walked away.
Emma Coverley, mitigating, said Torodoc had a wife and son in Romania, and at the time of the offences, his wife had informed him she wanted to end their relationship. She explained: "He has been in custody for six months now and has not had a family visit. He was given indefinite leave to be in the UK in 2020 and was working and quite properly sending money home to his family in Romania."
Torodoc, who required a Romanian interpreter at this week's hearing, pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault and also to common assault. He was jailed for 17 months.
Recorder Ciaran Rankin said: "This case paints a very disturbing and troubling picture. You displayed a bizarre attitude towards others you came into contact with when working as a delivery driver. It is an extremely worrying set of offences and in your pre-sentence report you don't seem to recognise the seriousness of these offences."
As well as the prison sentence, Torodoc was also placed the sex offender register for 10 years.