Daniel Popescu: 'Obsessed' stalker jailed over the attempted murder of pregnant ex-girlfriend
28 May 2024, 17:42
Daniel Mihai Popescu has been jailed for the attempted murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
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29-year-old Popescu, of no fixed address, was jailed for 17 years and four months for the attempted murder of Andreea Pintili in Aberfan, South Wales, on December 5 last year.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard how Popescu attacked his former partner while she was 37 weeks pregnant.
Popescu pleaded guilty to stalking his former partner, which is said to have taken place between 25 October and 6 December 2023.
Despite moving to the village of Aberfan following her concerns over Popescu's behaviour, the defendant eventually tracked down Ms Pintili's location.
"His intention that day was to kill me and my unborn child," Ms Pintili said in her victim impact statement.
19-seconds of CCTV footage appeared to show Popescu crouching behind a vehicle in wait for Ms Pintili.
Popescu will now have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for release, as well as serving three years on license.
Prosecutor John Hipkin KC told the court that Ms Pintilli had ended her relationship with Popescu in August 2023 over his out-of-control gambling habit.
The court heard how Popescu then became "obsessed" with Ms Pintilli.
He went on to follow her and her son on 27 October - an incident in which he took pictures of the pair and posted them on social media platform TikTok.
In a separate incident, on 31 October, Popescu "left two bags of his clothing outside her address".
"He proceeded to leave her a voicemail saying, 'Don't touch my clothes, I'm not going from the street until you get back together with me'," Mr Hipkin said.
"He then repeatedly knocked her window. As a result of this, the defendant was arrested and released on bail, with a condition not to contact Andreea Pintili."
The prosecution said Popescu had become "agitated and annoyed over a period of time" and that he had told him he was "going to stab his ex-girlfriend's new partner".
"On 5 December, the defendant travelled to Moy Road, Aberfan, where Andreea Pintili was then living," Mr Hipkin added.
"The defendant had armed himself with a knife from the address at which he was staying.
Adding: "The knife had a seven-to-eight-inch blade."
Ms Pintili sustained three superficial injuries to her thumb and two penetrating wounds to her back as a result of the attack.
Scans revealed that her child was unharmed and she was discharged from the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff the following day.
Popescu's defence told the court that Popescu suffers from "low mood and anxiety" and had "expressed his remorse and regret, which is genuine."
