A Romanian immigrant brutally raped a young woman on a train station so he could be sent to prison for a bed, food and English lessons at the same jail as his brother.
Ali Majlat, who has a string of convictions in his home country and in the UK, punched, kicked and dragged his 21-year-old victim along the ground as she waited for a train home after seeing friends.
She briefly escaped his clutches, but he caught up with her in an underpass at Wakefield Kirkgate station in West Yorkshire and subjected her to a sustained attack which was captured on CCTV.
Finally, he stole her mobile phone, purse and a bracelet before fleeing.
When he was caught five days later he admitted his guilt and claimed he did it so he would end up in prison.
'When I was on the railway station I thought I should rape this lady in order to get a place to eat and sleep and learn the English language,' he told a psychologist.
This bizarre explanation for the attack emerged when Majlat pleaded guilty to rape and robbery at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.
On hearing this, Judge Alistair McCallum was so shocked that he asked Majlat's defence barrister to repeat the defendant's reasons for committing the offence to be sure he had heard correctly.
Hours before the attack Majlat had tried to visit his brother in Wakefield prison where he is currently serving a jail term for rape and attempted murder. However, he was turned away because he did not have the correct paperwork.
The 35-year-old later told police that he attacked the girl at the local station in the hope he would be sent to the same prison as his brother.
'All he seems concerned about is being in the same jail as his brother,' a police source said. ' When he was told that he would be deported after his sentence, he seemed horrified.
'He doesn't want to go back to Romania. He just wants to stay in a British jail.'
Majlat, who is currently on remand in Leeds prison, entered the UK shortly after being released from a Romanian jail last June after serving time for theft and attempted robbery.
In September he was jailed for eight weeks by Horseferry Road magistrates court in London for burglary. But he was not deported after being freed because he was not deemed 'high risk'.
Convicts from the European Economic Area - members of the EU, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland - can be removed only if they are highly likely to re-offend and if they present a 'present, genuine and sufficiently serious threat'.
In reality, many of these are allowed to remain in the UK as well.
During the case, Judge McCallum demanded to know what procedures there were to stop criminals entering the country.
'This is going to be something we will have to be looking at more regularly,' he added.
Currently EU citizens with a valid passport can travel to Britain without prior warning. Even in cases where officials are aware of serious convictions, criminals cannot automatically be turned away.
Critics branded the decision to keep him in a British jail as 'an absolute disgrace'.
Susie Squire, of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: 'This man is a career criminal and should be deported immediately. There is no way that hard-up taxpayers should have to bear the financial burden of supporting this kind of individual.
'Now more than ever, every penny of public money is precious. All available funds should be given to fund tax breaks, not for convicted foreign criminals.'
After raping his victim at 8.30pm on October 12 last year, Majlat fled to London. But police were able to track him down to a homeless hostel in Victoria because he was still using his victim's mobile phone.
He was closely examined by doctors and psychologists, who insisted he was sane, despite his bizarre claims.
During the court hearing, Judge McCallum said he was considering imposing a life sentence.
He asked the Crown Prosecution Service to investigate Majlat's criminal history in Romania, particularly sexual offences, before he sentences him on April 6.
After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Dave Shipperlee, of British Transport Police, said: 'This was a violent and sustained attack on a young woman who must have been absolutely terrified.
'Police conducted an intensive investigation to catch the man responsible. I would like to reassure the public that incidents such as this are extremely rare on the railway network and also to thank everyone who came forward with information to help us in our investigation.'
In a dossier released last month, the Tories revealed that an estimated 3,000 foreign criminals were released without being deported last year.
Immigrants who were not prevented from entering Britain included sex attacker Josef Kurek, jailed for life in 2005 after breaking into the home of a 25-year-old woman in Swansea and raping her. He had just served nine years for rape in Poland, following four years for attempted rape.
Ali Majlat, who has a string of convictions in his home country and in the UK, punched, kicked and dragged his 21-year-old victim along the ground as she waited for a train home after seeing friends.
She briefly escaped his clutches, but he caught up with her in an underpass at Wakefield Kirkgate station in West Yorkshire and subjected her to a sustained attack which was captured on CCTV.
Finally, he stole her mobile phone, purse and a bracelet before fleeing.
When he was caught five days later he admitted his guilt and claimed he did it so he would end up in prison.
'When I was on the railway station I thought I should rape this lady in order to get a place to eat and sleep and learn the English language,' he told a psychologist.
This bizarre explanation for the attack emerged when Majlat pleaded guilty to rape and robbery at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.
On hearing this, Judge Alistair McCallum was so shocked that he asked Majlat's defence barrister to repeat the defendant's reasons for committing the offence to be sure he had heard correctly.
Hours before the attack Majlat had tried to visit his brother in Wakefield prison where he is currently serving a jail term for rape and attempted murder. However, he was turned away because he did not have the correct paperwork.
The 35-year-old later told police that he attacked the girl at the local station in the hope he would be sent to the same prison as his brother.
'All he seems concerned about is being in the same jail as his brother,' a police source said. ' When he was told that he would be deported after his sentence, he seemed horrified.
'He doesn't want to go back to Romania. He just wants to stay in a British jail.'
Majlat, who is currently on remand in Leeds prison, entered the UK shortly after being released from a Romanian jail last June after serving time for theft and attempted robbery.
In September he was jailed for eight weeks by Horseferry Road magistrates court in London for burglary. But he was not deported after being freed because he was not deemed 'high risk'.
Convicts from the European Economic Area - members of the EU, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland - can be removed only if they are highly likely to re-offend and if they present a 'present, genuine and sufficiently serious threat'.
In reality, many of these are allowed to remain in the UK as well.
During the case, Judge McCallum demanded to know what procedures there were to stop criminals entering the country.
'This is going to be something we will have to be looking at more regularly,' he added.
Currently EU citizens with a valid passport can travel to Britain without prior warning. Even in cases where officials are aware of serious convictions, criminals cannot automatically be turned away.
Critics branded the decision to keep him in a British jail as 'an absolute disgrace'.
Susie Squire, of the Taxpayers Alliance, said: 'This man is a career criminal and should be deported immediately. There is no way that hard-up taxpayers should have to bear the financial burden of supporting this kind of individual.
'Now more than ever, every penny of public money is precious. All available funds should be given to fund tax breaks, not for convicted foreign criminals.'
After raping his victim at 8.30pm on October 12 last year, Majlat fled to London. But police were able to track him down to a homeless hostel in Victoria because he was still using his victim's mobile phone.
He was closely examined by doctors and psychologists, who insisted he was sane, despite his bizarre claims.
During the court hearing, Judge McCallum said he was considering imposing a life sentence.
He asked the Crown Prosecution Service to investigate Majlat's criminal history in Romania, particularly sexual offences, before he sentences him on April 6.
After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Dave Shipperlee, of British Transport Police, said: 'This was a violent and sustained attack on a young woman who must have been absolutely terrified.
'Police conducted an intensive investigation to catch the man responsible. I would like to reassure the public that incidents such as this are extremely rare on the railway network and also to thank everyone who came forward with information to help us in our investigation.'
In a dossier released last month, the Tories revealed that an estimated 3,000 foreign criminals were released without being deported last year.
Immigrants who were not prevented from entering Britain included sex attacker Josef Kurek, jailed for life in 2005 after breaking into the home of a 25-year-old woman in Swansea and raping her. He had just served nine years for rape in Poland, following four years for attempted rape.
