See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JOE ROSSITER, REPORTER Published: 16:52 BST, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 16:52 BST, 7 July 2026
A convicted rapist who fled to Bosnia to escape British justice after accidentally being set free from prison has been ordered by a judge to return to the UK to be sentenced.Bernadin Dedic, 48, was convicted last month of repeatedly raping a woman he had held at knifepoint and threatened to kill in an ordeal that lasted hours.Before his trial Dedic had been held at HMP Wormwood Scrubs but was mistakenly set free in February when a court official wrongly recorded that bail had been granted.After being released Dedic made the 1,600-mile trip to his native Bosnia by taking the Eurostar to France and driving to Germany en route to the Balkan country.He claimed he was left in tears and begged prison staff to let him stay as he was released from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, but within hours had recovered to flee from justice - just weeks ahead of his trial.Last month he told the Daily Mail: 'I have nothing to hide. I just wanted to have freedom, I didn't want to stay in prison.'I took my car, my Bosnian passport and left legally. No-one stopped me, no-one questioned me.'I went on the train, to Calais, then I drove to Germany. There was a checkpoint somewhere in Germany, but I went through, no problem.' Bernadin Dedic was in custody awaiting trial after he repeatedly raped a woman at knifepoint when he was released from prison by mistakeHe left his children in the UK when he fled to Bosnia, where it is understood he still is.When asked if he was worried the British government might try to extradite him back to the UK to face the law, Dedic dismissed the idea, claiming that '90 per cent' of requests by British authorities are unsuccessful.'They [Bosnia's government] do it for very heavy crime, terror organisations, war crimes, not this.'At Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Hannah Duncan set the sentencing hearing for July 24 and ordered messages to be sent to Dedic and his brother about the date of the hearing.'Sentencing is going to take place on July 24 and he is required to attend it and surrender to custody on that date,' said the judge.Dedic has previously said he does not intend to return to the UK for a sentencing hearing.He complained his trial had not been fair, claimed to now suffer from a condition that prevented him from being in enclosed spaces like aeroplanes and suggested he would be prepared to drive to the UK but only on the condition that he is allowed a second trial.Prosecutor Dickon Reid told the court on Tuesday the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would neither confirm nor deny whether efforts were under way to extradite Dedic from Bosnia to the UK and offered the statement: 'We are doing all we can to secure justice in this case.'The barrister continued: 'I'm not quite sure what that means.'Judge Duncan added she had been made aware of online harassment towards the rape victim by 'the defendant or supporters or friends' and suggested it could constitute contempt of court or a breach of automatic restrictions on her identity being revealed. Dedic left the UK on the Eurostar and was not stopped by British or French authoritiesThe posts have been passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation.Dedic's release happened after a pre-trial hearing at Isleworth Crown Court in February when an official mistakenly mixed up digital case files and triggered a message to the prison that he had been granted bail.When his trial came around, Dedic claimed to have suffered a skiing injury that stopped him from travelling, he suggested that he was struggling to obtain a visa and said that he had suffered chest pains on his way to the airport.In his absence jurors found Dedic guilty of four charges of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, threatening a person with a knife when in a private place and making a threat to kill.Judge Duncan concluded that the trial could take place in his absence and she was 'far from convinced he has had a heart attack'.The rape victim is preparing an impact statement for the sentencing hearing, the court was told, and has asked for the case to be concluded as soon as possible.
