Monster who beat grandmother (45) to death with a club containing nails admits rape after snatching her from the street
A MONSTER who beat a grandmother to death with a club studded with nails today admitted raping her.
Valentin Lazar23, snatched 45-year-old Maria Rawlings from the street after following her from a bus.
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The killer then assaulted and strangled the grandmother before leaving her naked body in the bushes for a dog walker to find.
Lazar was given a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years and six months in 2022 after admitting murder.
The Devil today pleaded guilty to raping mother-of-two Maria at a hearing at the Old Bailey.
Lazar, who came to Britain from England Romania in 2018, was captured on CCTV following Maria as they got off a bus in Romford, East London.
He then grabbed her arm and dragged Maria into the bushes in May 2021 horror.
Lazar emerged about 31 minutes later, before entering the bushes again to steal the grandmother’s handbag.
Her naked body was found the next day with her bank cards, shoes and bag nearby.
a post-mortem showed that Maria had been strangled and also suffered injuries to her mouth, chest and knee.
She also suffered 15 broken ribs after the ‘attack of exceptional violence’ and there were footprints on her stomach where she was trampled.
At the time, prosecutors suggested there had been a possible “sexual motive” for the killing, as Maria had bruises on her inner thighs and was found naked.
Lazar, who was found after a manhunt, was later charged with rape after his murder conviction.
He will be sentenced in court on March 20 Old Bailey.
In an earlier tribute, Maria’s daughter Charlee said: ‘I don’t think I actually know where to begin to explain the impact my mother’s murder has had on me.
“My mother was my best friend. I am 17 years old and lived with my mother.
“We were best friends, we talked about everything, we shared everything in our lives.”
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