Rapist Bernadin Dedic Convicted on Nine Counts After Prison Error Frees Him to Bosnia
A convicted rapist, Bernadin Dedic, 48, fled the UK to Bosnia on the Eurostar after being mistakenly released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs in west London on 6 February. A court official erroneously informed the prison that Dedic had been granted bail, despite him being remanded in custody.
Dedic, a businessman from Ealing, used his Bosnian passport to leave the country, as his UK passport had been seized by the Metropolitan Police during the initial rape investigation.
On Tuesday, a jury at Isleworth Crown Court convicted Dedic on nine counts, including four counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault by penetration, in his absence. Throughout the trial, Dedic offered various excuses for not returning to face justice, citing a heart attack and a skiing accident.
Prosecutor Simon Sanford detailed how Dedic carried out the attacks at his west London home, having consumed red wine and cocaine. He allegedly lured the woman into his basement, threatened her with a knife, and subjected her to several hours of sexual assault.
Efforts by a senior judge, police, and Border Force agents to facilitate Dedic’s return for the original March trial were unsuccessful, with Dedic claiming a knee injury. The trial was delayed until June, but he again failed to appear, claiming a heart attack in Sarajevo. Judge Hannah Duncan expressed scepticism regarding this claim but requested medical reports.
The erroneous release of Dedic from prison has prompted an investigation by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. A spokesperson acknowledged the “deep-rooted issues across the broken justice system” but confirmed that investigations are underway to prevent similar occurrences. Eurostar stated that it does not conduct criminal record checks, with such responsibilities falling to border authorities.
