The defendant in the rape trial murdered his girlfriend in Moldova in 2002, the jury was told

A Moldovan national accused of raping and attempting to murder a stranger in Northamptonshire was jailed for murdering his girlfriend in his home country in 2009, a court has heard.

Jurors were told that Sergiu Boianjiu was released early from a 14-year prison sentence for the murder of Ludmila Nour, whose body was hidden in a drainage shaft in a forest.

Prosecutors accuse former school security guard Boianjiu, 38, of raping and attempting to murder a woman who was in hospital with a brain haemorrhage after being attacked on her way home from a night out in Wellingborough in February this year.

The defendant, of Melton Road North, Wellingborough, denies attempted murder and two counts of rape, but has admitted attempted rape and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial was shown CCTV footage of the attack which, according to the prosecution, showed Boianjiu repeatedly stomping on his victim’s head and face as he lay defenseless on the ground in an alley.

Prosecutors further allege that Boianjiu “wanted to eliminate the only witness to his crimes” and intended to hide her body in a trash can.

The defendant hit this woman several times with his hands and feet in different parts of her body, causing her physical injuries that led to her death. He then threw her body into a sewer shaft to cover up his crime

Crown attorney Ellie Brown quoted from an earlier transcript of the trial

Addressing the jury at Northampton Crown Court, prosecutor Ellie Brown told jurors that Boianjiu had been convicted of theft and “premeditated murder” at the Riscani District Court in Moldova on October 9, 2009.

Ms Brown also told the court that the defendant was released early from his prison sentence for murder in July 2018.

Quoting from a translation of a transcript of Boianjiu’s murder trial, Miss Brown said: “On August 18, 2002, at about 3 p.m., the defendant was with a woman, Ludmila Nour, in a park near Lake Gusinaia Balca in Chisinau County .

“The defendant hit this woman several times with her hands and feet on various parts of her body, inflicting physical injuries on her which led to her death.

“Thereafter, to cover up the crime, he threw her body into a drainage shaft in the park and then fled the scene.”

Jurors were told Wednesday that Boianjiu traveled to Moscow and Vladivostok in Russia and was only extradited to Moldova in 2008.

Court documents from Moldova showed Ms Nour’s cause of death could not be determined, but it was determined she had suffered “blunt trauma” to the chest, including seven fractures.

Although three judges in Moldova were not convinced that Boianjiu had murdered Ms Nour “with an extraordinary degree of brutality”, they were convinced that the killing was premeditated.

After details of Boianjiu’s previous conviction were read to the court, he chose not to testify in his defense.

During a defense argument that lasted about 30 seconds, defense QC John Lloyd-Jones told jurors: “We are not citing any evidence on behalf of Mr Boianjiu.”

Before the Crown concluded its case, Judge David Herbert QC advised the jury that evidence of previous conviction had no relevance to the rape counts facing the defendant.

The judge also told jurors that they could not convict Boianjiu “wholly or predominantly” of attempted murder because of his previous conviction.

The judge told the panel: “The defendant does not accept guilt in relation to his previous conviction.

“The prosecution says it shows he has a tendency to attack women with the intent to kill. On the other hand, the defense argues that the prior conviction is both old and diverse in nature.

“If you are not sure whether his previous conviction shows such a tendency, you must ignore it completely.”

The process continues.