Bernadin Dedic, 48, was convicted in his absence on all nine counts after being accidentally released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs and fleeing the UK on the Eurostar to Bosnia
A rapist who held his victim at knifepoint and threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his sexual demands is on the run from justice after being mistakenly released from prison. Bernadin Dedic, 48, had been drinking red wine and was high on cocaine when he brandished a knife at the woman, warning her that if she screamed she “wouldn’t be heard”.
He forcibly removed the victim’s clothes before subjecting her to multiple rapes and sexual assaults in a horrifying ordeal which lasted several hours. Dedic, a businessman residing in Ealing, west London, was remanded in custody last year after being charged with four counts of rape, two instances of sexual assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, threatening a person with a knife in a private place, and making a threat to kill.
However, in February he was erroneously set free from HMP Wormwood Scrubs after a court official incorrectly informed the prison that he had been granted bail.
Within hours, Dedic had departed the UK on the Eurostar and returned to his home country of Bosnia.
The defendant offered a string of excuses for not returning to face justice, including claims of a heart attack and a skiing accident, and he remained in Bosnia as the trial proceeded this month at Isleworth Crown Court.
On Tuesday, a jury convicted Dedic on all nine charges in his absence.
If he fails to return for the sentencing hearing, the UK authorities are expected to commence extradition proceedings so that he can be brought to serve the inevitable lengthy jail term.
Prosecutor Simon Sandford told the court Dedic carried out the attacks at his west London home, shortly after separating from his partner.
Dedic is thought to have consumed as much as four bottles of red wine and snorted lines of cocaine before luring the woman to his basement, after she had turned down his offer of “no strings attached” sex.
“When downstairs, she turned towards the stairs and saw him, holding a red-handled oriental kitchen knife”, said the prosecutor.
“He stepped towards her, took hold of her and said he would kill her and then kill himself.
“She was extremely frightened but tried to calm him down. He said if she screamed, she wouldn’t be heard.”
Dedic slapped the woman in the face and told her to “shut up”, used the knife to cut off her sports bra and top, and then ordered her to remove the rest of her clothing, the court heard.
“She was terrified and was prepared to do whatever he said.”
The Press Association first revealed in February how a suspected rapist – who could not be named at the time to avoid prejudicing his trial – had been wrongly set free from jail and managed to flee the UK. Dedic, who had a top barrister representing him during court proceedings, sent messages expressing his desire to return and face trial, but claimed he was having difficulties securing a visa.
His UK passport had been confiscated by the Metropolitan Police during the rape investigation, but following his release from prison he had utilised his Bosnian passport to book a place on the Eurostar.
A senior judge, police officers and Border Force officials made attempts to help facilitate Dedic’s return to the UK for a trial in March, but at the last minute Dedic informed his legal team that he was now unable to travel due to a knee injury allegedly sustained in a skiing accident.
Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of Kensington and Chelsea, reluctantly agreed to postpone the trial from March to June, allowing him time to recover and fly to the UK.
However in June, Dedic again failed to appear in court and claimed to have suffered a heart attack in Sarajevo.
Upon initially hearing this news, Judge Hannah Duncan said she was “far from convinced he has had a heart attack”, but requested medical reports to determine the true situation.
The next day, with Dedic now without legal representation in court after failing to pay his solicitors, the judge ruled that the trial would proceed without the defendant.
She observed that he had only sought medical assistance after informing the court that he was experiencing chest pain, tests had shown his heart rate was normal, and he was discharged by the hospital. “This is yet another attempt by Mr Dedic to obstruct, manipulate and avoid justice,” the judge concluded.
During previous hearings, it emerged that Dedic had been mistakenly freed from prison on February 6 after a court official confused digital case files and wrongly logged that he had been awarded bail.
The bail notification was subsequently forwarded to the prison, which processed Dedic’s release.
Judge Edmunds stated in his judgment: “Although such errors are extremely rare, and indeed this is the only instance I am aware of when there has been an erroneous release of a prisoner held in custody to this court, we take this error extremely seriously.
“We will fully investigate how it occurred and what steps can be put in place to prevent it occurring again.”
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) confirmed that extra independent verification procedures are being implemented within the courts system to help prevent future blunders.
“We fully understand the distress these types of errors will cause and action has already been taken to address errors made in this case,” a spokesperson said.
“Our focus now is working closely with the police and CPS to return this offender to custody so they can face justice.”