Ionut-Robert Marghiol, 37, was jailed for 25 years at Manchester Crown Court today (October 22) for running a sex ring that brought Romanian women to the UK and forced them into sex work in Manchester, Bolton, and Bury. He was convicted of four counts of rape, four counts of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person for the purpose of exploitation, and other offences including forced labour and assault.
Campaign of rape and abuse
The court heard that Marghiol took the women's passports, leaving them unable to leave or 'live a free life'. He controlled them through fear of violence, using them as 'punchbags' during almost daily beatings, sometimes with weapons such as a baseball bat and a broken piece of wood. He also repeatedly sexually attacked them during what a judge described as 'in effect a campaign of rape'.
The two women were 'utterly in fear', 'cowed,' and had 'no choice but to submit', the court was told. In one instance, Marghiol kicked one of the women in the ribs after she said she was too tired to have sex with him, before raping her. One woman, then in her early 20s, was brought to the UK after being forced into sex work at a club in Spain for 10 months and was exploited over around five years.
Co-defendants sentenced
Denis Vatafu, 34, who ran a brothel for Marghiol and helped bring women to the UK, was jailed for eight years. Nicolae Branovic, 33, and Maria Branovici, 27, who were involved in the 'outer fringes' of the network in Salford, were jailed for three years and nine months respectively. All were made subject to slavery and trafficking prevention orders (STPOs) restricting future activities, with Marghiol's lasting indefinitely, Vatafu's for 15 years, and the Branovicis' for 10 years.
Investigation and impact
Police began investigating after the two women, who had fled Greater Manchester, went to a police station in Essex in 2024 and reported the abuse. In a victim impact statement, one survivor said: “After I arrived in the UK, I started having panic attacks, and even now after so long, if somebody screams near me or is talking to me in an aggressive manner, the panic attacks come back.”
Judge Kate Cornell praised the victims' bravery, telling Marghiol: “They have not allowed you to break them. They have fought back against your cruelty and deprivation. You are now where you belong, in the dock. They are finally free to live their lives as they choose.” A judge said there were other likely victims who either could not be found or did not want to participate in the prosecution. A timetable was set for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) proceedings, and the court heard all defendants want to return to Romania after release.
