Hemel Hempstead man jailed after 'terrifying' kidnap attempt on former partner

Christian Lazaroiu, of Long John, Bennetts End, approached his ex-partner at her place of work on July 29 this year. He then seriously assaulted her before putting his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and dragging her out of the building.

Lazaroiu then tried to force her into his car which was parked outside, but a work colleague of the woman approached them and he let her go. She then ran to the member of staff while Lazaroui got into the car and drove off.

While sentencing him at St Albans Crown Court, Judge Warner described the incident as “a violent and sustained assault” and a “terrifying ordeal” for the victim.

Lazaroiu was jailed for 21 months on Wednesday September 27, with the sentence taking into account his early guilty plea. An indefinite restraining order was also put in place to stop him attempting to make contact with the woman again.

At the end of his sentence, Lazaroiu will be deported back to his native Romania.

Detective Constable Kelly Bowman, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s specialist Domestic Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit, said: “The sentence reflects the serious nature of this offence and will go a long way to offer reassurance to a vulnerable victim.

“All domestic abuse incidents are treated very seriously, with Hertfordshire Constabulary dealing with offenders as robustly as possible.”