A Romanian national has pleaded not guilty to raping a teenage girl on Great Yarmouth’s South Beach, as police investigate a broader attack on two young women in the early hours of 16 May.
Madalin Ilinca, 34, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday afternoon, denying rape of a woman aged 16 or over, two counts of sexual assault on a girl aged 16 or over, and assault by penetration of another girl aged 13 or over. He spoke through a Romanian interpreter as he entered his not guilty pleas.
“Romanian national Madalin Ilinca denies raping a teenage girl on Great Yarmouth beach; second man Dawid Wlach bailed.”
Prosecutor Katherine Newson told the court the two teenage victims were “previously strangers to the defendant”. According to Newson, both girls had encountered another man who “fetched alcohol”. She said: “During this time, Ilinca approached the group. It is alleged he sexually assaulted one of the complainants at the rear of the hotel. All parties went onto the beach where the allegations of rape and sexual penetration occurred.”
Police were called at 12:37am to reports that two girls had been raped on sand dunes behind a Premier Inn, near the Pleasure Beach amusement park and the Wellington Pier. Norfolk Police said Ilinca was stopped at the port of Dover re-entering the UK and subsequently charged.
Judge Katharine Moore remanded Ilinca in custody, telling him: “I’ll remand you in custody until your trial. You can expect an application to be made to extend the custody limit until your trial.” He will next appear at the same court on 25 August, with a provisional trial date set for 7 December expected to last two weeks.
A second man, Polish national Dawid Wlach, 35, of Dover Court, Caister-on-Sea, was also charged after the same incident. Wlach faces two counts of rape of a woman aged 16 or over, one count of assault by penetration on a girl aged 13 or over, and one count of sexual assault. He appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning, did not enter a plea, and was released on conditional bail until his next appearance at Norwich Crown Court on 25 August for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
The case has shocked the seaside resort, with both men due to face further proceedings later this summer.