A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and attempted rape of two women in Warrington.

Mariyan Grudev, formerly of Thelwall Lane, Latchford, Warrington, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 6 February after previously pleading guilty to one count of attempted rape. The 39-year-old was also found guilty of one count of rape following a trial in July 2024.

The first incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday 29 July 2023, when a woman walking along Winwick Road was followed and attacked by Grudev. Thankfully, she escaped unharmed and sought help from a passing taxi driver. Cheshire Police released a CCTV image of the suspect, leading to Grudev's arrest on Sunday 30 July 2023.

Following his arrest for attempted rape, Grudev was investigated in connection with a similar incident that occurred on Sunday 22 December 2019. In this case, a woman who had been out in Warrington town centre reported being approached by a man and later believed she had been raped. While initial forensic tests did not yield a match, Grudev's DNA was subsequently tested against evidence from the 2019 incident, providing a definitive link.

Grudev was charged with rape in November 2023 and sentenced alongside the attempted rape charge in February 2025. He will also be required to sign the Sex Offender Register as part of his sentence.