Rapist on the run escapes UK via Eurostar after being freed from prison in error

A 48-year-old rapist guilty on nine charges remains on the run as a fugitive in Bosnia, following his mistaken release from a London prison earlier this year.An absent Bernadin Dedic was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration, forcing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent, threatening a person with a blade in a private setting, and issuing death threats.The Ealing based businessman fled to Bosnia in February via Eurostar, after an administrative blunder at HMP Wormwood Scrubs saw him released in error. The court heard Dedic launched his attack at his west London residence shortly after his relationship had ended, consuming red wine and snorting cocaine, before enticing his victim into the basement of the property. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Prosecutor Simon Sanford described how the woman turned towards the staircase and discovered Dedic brandishing a red-handled oriental kitchen knife. He stepped towards her, took hold of her and said he would kill her and then kill himself, the prosecutor told jurors.He proceeded to slice off her clothing before subjecting her to a horrifying ordeal lasting several hours.The catastrophic error that allowed Dedic to abscond occurred when a court official confused digital case files, incorrectly entering into the system that he had been granted bail. Notification of the blunder was transmitted to the prison, triggering his release on February 6.Within hours of walking free from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, Dedic had boarded a Eurostar service and departed for Bosnia. Although Metropolitan Police officers had confiscated his British passport during their investigation, he possessed a second passport from his country of birth which enabled him to secure passage on the train.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSTreat migrant crisis as national security threat after Belfast knife attack, warns terror watchdogFirst protesters jailed after protests over Henry Nowak murder days after Southampton demonstrationPolice scrap 'Islamic blasphemy law' after free speech uproarJudge Martin Edmunds KC said of the mistake: Although such errors are extremely rare, and indeed this is the only instance I am aware of when there has been an erroneous release of a prisoner held in custody to this court, we take this error extremely seriously.Authorities including a senior judge, police officers and Border Force agents attempted to arrange his return for a March trial, but he claimed at the last moment that a knee injury prevented him from travelling.This was just the first in a series of justifications Dedic attempted to make for his failure to appear before the court.Judge Edmunds postponed proceedings until June to allow recovery time, yet Dedic again failed to attend, this time claiming he had suffered a heart attack while in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. Judge Hannah Duncan cast doubt on the claim, saying she was far from convinced he has had a heart attack, whilst requesting medical documentation.Having also stopped paying his legal representatives, Dedic found himself without counsel when the judge ruled the trial would proceed in his absence. Should he fail to appear for sentencing, extradition proceedings are expected, where Dedic's home nation would be requested to return the defendant to stand trial in Britain. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter