Man in court charged with rape of teen on beach

Mariam Issimdarand
Alex Dunlop,Norwich Magistrates' Court
News imageFacebook Madalin Ilnica, who has short dark hair and is wearing a dark jacket with a hood, which is down, looks at the camera.Facebook
Ilnica is accused of rape and two counts of sexual assault

A 34-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the rape of a teenage girl on a beach in Great Yarmouth.

Norfolk Police had been investigating reports that two girls had been raped on South Beach Parade in the resort in the early hours of 16 May.

Madalin Ilinca, of Stafford Road, Great Yarmouth, was remanded in custody when he appeared at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Monday.

He was also charged with two counts of sexual assault in Great Yarmouth between May 15 and May 16, with the complainant in both counts said to be aged 16 or over.

Ilinca, a Romanian national, wore a cream-coloured hoody and clasped his hands together in front of him.

At one point he appeared tearful and said "please".

He was not asked to enter pleas to the charges. No application for bail was made.

Ilinca, who was assisted by an interpreter over a video link, is due to appear before Norwich Crown Court on 6 July.

Norfolk Police said had been stopped on Sunday at the port of Dover when re-entering the UK and subsequently charged.

The force said another man in his 30s, who was arrested in Northamptonshire on 17 May on suspicion of rape in connection with the same incident, remained on police bail until 10 August while inquiries continued.

News imageQays Najm/BBC A marked police van is parked on a road next to a beachfront. There are fairground rides in the background behind a fence, and an individual is walking along a pavement. Qays Najm/BBC
There was an increased police presence on Great Yarmouth seafront following the incident in May

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