A child rapist who was deported from Britain but illegally returned has been recaptured after he attempted to claim state benefits. Sebastian Pavel Baltatu, 24, was a member of a grooming gang that preyed on young girls and was originally jailed for three years in 2019 for raping a child under the age of 13.
Illegal Return and Arrest
Baltatu was deported in 2020 following his prison sentence. However, he managed to sneak back into the United Kingdom undetected. He was found living in Manchester, the same city where he and four other men had previously groomed and sexually exploited victims aged 12 to 15 between 2016 and 2018.
Greater Manchester Police tracked him down to an address in Gorton after he audaciously filed a claim to receive Universal Credit. The force and their Sex Offender Management Unit collaborated to arrest the child rapist in March this year.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
Baltatu appeared at Manchester Crown Court on April 17, where he pleaded guilty to five breaches of his sex offender requirements and a breach of his deportation order. He was subsequently jailed for one year and six months and now faces being deported once again.
Police authorities have stated that Baltatu poses a clear and ongoing risk to the public, particularly to children. Detective Sergeant Daniel Sanchez, from the Public Protection Department, emphasized the importance of his capture.
'Sebastian Baltatu poses a clear and ongoing risk to the public, particularly to children, and it was vital that he was located and brought before the courts,' Sanchez said. 'Despite having been deported following a serious sexual offence and being subject to strict requirements, Baltatu chose to unlawfully return to the UK and deliberately breach the conditions placed upon him.'
Proactive Policing Measures
Officers are now proactively reviewing sex offenders who are believed to be living overseas to ensure they have not returned to the UK unlawfully. Where concerns are identified, swift action is taken to locate those individuals and arrest them where necessary.
'Through determined and methodical work by officers from our Sex Offender Management Unit, we were able to establish his whereabouts and ensure he was arrested safely,' Sanchez added. 'This case underlines our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and taking robust action against offenders who believe they can evade the law.'
Background of the Grooming Gang
Baltatu was 18 years old when he and three other men—Parizian Calin, 20, Adrian Calin, 20, and Ilie Baltatu, 22—were jailed for the depraved sexual abuse of young children in Manchester between 2016 and 2018. One of the victims, who was 12 when the abuse started, was raped by Sebastian Baltatu.
The child was then also raped repeatedly by Parizian Calin, also known as David, who then facilitated other men to rape her. Ilie Baltatu, also known as Danny, used social media to prey on the same girl before inciting her to engage in sexual activity and sexually assaulted her while she was still under the age of 13.
At the time of the original convictions, Superintendent Rebecca Boyce of Greater Manchester Police said the young victims 'suffered the most unimaginable and traumatic abuse'. Lisa O'Neill, from the Crown Prosecution Service, noted that all of the men 'deliberately targeted and groomed the young victims... because they were underage and because of their vulnerability'.
'The victims were just children when they were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation,' O'Neill concluded.
