Man took girl who could not swim out of her depth in sea and raped her, court told

Gabriel Marinoaica was arrested 11 months later

People on Bournemouth beach in Dorset (PA Wire)

A 20-year-old man is accused of taking a 15-year-old girl who could not swim out of her depth in the sea off Bournemouth beach on a busy summer’s day and raping her, a court has heard.

Gabriel Marinoaica, of Darlaston, Walsall, West Midlands, is on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court charged with rape and four counts of sexual assault.

Ellie Fargin, prosecuting, said that the alleged victim had been in the sea with friends off the Dorset resort on 18 July 2021 when she started playing with a ball with another group in the water.

After her two friends had gone back to the beach, the complainant had gone to fetch the ball when it had been kicked away and had been picked up by the defendant, Ms Fargin said.

She said that Marinoaica initially refused to give the ball back but did so when the complainant asked a second time.

She said that the defendant asked her name and her age before saying his name was Dabby and he was from Birmingham.

Ms Fargin said: “It was at this point the defendant pulled at [her] arm and pulled her out to sea.

“(She) could no longer touch the bottom, she really was in deep water. [She] told the defendant ‘No, get off me’, but he ignored her.

“He was touching her everywhere, she was uncomfortable and wanted to get out but the defendant pulled her out further.”

She said the defendant then asked her if she wanted to “smash”, meaning to have sex. The complainant said she did not want to.

Ms Fargin said that the defendant then groped the complainant, kissed her and bit her neck before he raped her for about a minute until someone approached.

She added that the complainant had said she could not scream because Marinoaica had his hand over her mouth.

Police officers patrolling Bournemouth beach (PA)

Ms Fargin said: “He took her out of her depth, he made her vulnerable, she couldn’t even swim, he might not have known that but he might have known she could not touch the bottom.

“And why did he do that? So he could do what he wanted to do.

“She didn’t consent and we say he knew that, he simply didn’t care.”

The prosecutor said that the complainant later told her family and they informed the police.

Marinoaica was arrested 11 months later and semen found in the complainant’s bikini matched his DNA, Ms Fargin said.

She added that the defendant told police that the complainant had “come up and kissed him” and asked him where he was from and he had said Romania.

He had said that she had initiated sexual activity with him and asked him if he wanted to have sex.

Ms Fargin added that he had told officers that the complainant had “her legs wrapped around his waist and it lasted five to 10 minutes”.

Marinoaica denies the charges and the trial continues.