Bernadin Dedic, who raped a woman at knifepoint in Ealing, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in his absence after fleeing to Bosnia when he was mistakenly released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs due to a court administration error.
A rapist who attacked a woman at knifepoint in Ealing has been jailed for 18 years in his absence, after fleeing the country when he was accidentally freed from prison. Bernadin Dedic, 48, lured the victim to a basement in West London and raped her multiple times before he was remanded in custody last year. However, he was mistakenly released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs on 6 February 2026 after a court official incorrectly recorded that he had been granted bail. Within hours, Dedic fled the UK on the Eurostar and returned to his native Bosnia, from where he has since refused to return for trial or sentencing.
The attack
Isleworth Crown Court heard that Dedic carried out the attack shortly after separating from his partner, having drunk four bottles of red wine and taken cocaine before luring the woman to his basement. Prosecutor Simon Sandford told the court: “When downstairs, she turned towards the stairs and saw him, holding a red-handled oriental kitchen knife. He stepped towards her, took hold of her and said he would kill her and then kill himself. She was extremely frightened but tried to calm him down. He said if she screamed, she wouldn’t be heard.”
Dedic was convicted in his absence of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. He was also found guilty of threatening a person with a knife in a private place and making a threat to kill.
How Dedic escaped justice
The administrative error that led to Dedic’s release was traced to HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), where a court official mistakenly updated the wrong digital case record, causing an incorrect electronic notification to be sent to the prison stating that Dedic had been granted bail. Prison staff acted on the notification and released him.
Although his UK passport had been seized by the Metropolitan Police during the rape investigation, Dedic travelled to St Pancras International after his release and boarded a Eurostar service to mainland Europe using his Bosnian passport. Once in Bosnia, he offered a string of excuses for failing to return to the UK, at various points claiming he had suffered a heart attack, been involved in a skiing accident, and developed a fear of flying.
A senior judge, police officers and Border Force agents made efforts to bring Dedic back to the UK for his original trial date, but he claimed he was unable to travel due to a knee injury, resulting in the trial being delayed until June. When the case resumed, Dedic again failed to appear, this time claiming to have suffered a heart attack in Sarajevo, and the trial proceeded in his absence.
Sentencing
Sentencing Dedic to 18 years in prison, Judge Hannah Duncan said he was “refusing to return to the UK for his sentencing.” The judge ruled there was clear evidence Dedic had deliberately avoided justice, rejecting each of his repeated explanations for failing to return. She said he had shown no genuine intention of coming back to face the court, and had continued to produce new excuses each time a court date approached.
A warrant remains in force for Dedic’s arrest, meaning he will face immediate detention should he ever return to the UK or be extradited.
HMCTS response
Following the mistaken release, HM Courts and Tribunals Service launched an investigation into how the error occurred. A spokesperson said: “We understand the distress errors such as this can cause to those affected and instances like this have exposed deep-rooted issues across the broken justice system the Government inherited.” HMCTS said it has since introduced additional safeguards while the investigation continues, aimed at reducing the risk of similar administrative failures happening again in future.
