A PREDATOR who dragged a 15-year-old girl out to sea and raped her in front of a packed beach has been jailed.
The 15-year-old was in the sea with her friends in Bournemouth when she started playing with a ball with another group.
PAGabriel Marinoaica has been jailed for rape[/caption]
BNPSThe beach was packed with holidaymakers at the time including his parents[/caption]
After the ball was kicked away, Gabriel Marinoaica, 20, picked it up and began chatting with the girl.
He then dragged the girl further into the sea where she was unable to swim and asked if she wanted to “smash” – meaning sex.
She told him “no, get off me” but Marinoaica groped and kissed her.
He then put his hands over the girl’s mouth so she could not scream and raped her.
The fiend has now been jailed for six-and-a-half years after being found guilty of rape following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.
In a victim impact statement, the girl told of how she was “haunted in her nightmares” by what happened.
She said: “I used to have a huge love for the beach and sea but I have lost it.
“I have tried to walk along the beach with friends and it was so hard trying to fight back tears.
“I will forever avoid that side of the beach.
“I feel so unsafe in the water now. It fills me with fear.
“I often struggle to sleep and I see him in my nightmares.”
Horror attack
Jurors heard how the horror unfolded on July 18, 2021 – one of the hottest days of that summer.
Thousands of holidaymakers – including Marinoaica’s parents – were on the beach at the time.
Describing the attack, Ellie Fargin, prosecuting, said: “He took her out of her depth, he made her vulnerable, she couldn’t even swim, he might not have known that but he might have known she could not touch the bottom.
“And why did he do that? So he could do what he wanted to do.
“She didn’t consent and we say he knew that, he simply didn’t care.”
The girl later told her family what had happened and they phoned the police.
Officers found a match for Marinoaica’s DNA on the victim’s bikini and he was arrested around 11 months later.
He claimed in his evidence she had initiated sexual activity with him and asked him if he wanted to have sex.
Detective Inspector Mark Jenkins, of MCIT, said: “We have carried out extensive and detailed enquiries to identify the culprit for this horrific sexual attack and I want to praise the young victim in the case for the courage she has shown throughout the investigation and court process.
“I hope the bravery she has shown will encourage other victims of sexual offences to have the strength to come forward in the knowledge that they will be supported, and we will do everything we can to ensure offenders face justice.
“I want to thank all those involved in this complex investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service for its assistance in bringing the case to trial and securing the conviction of Gabriel Marinoaica.”
BNPSMarinoaica groped the schoolgirl after leading her to deeper water[/caption]