A sex offender who repeatedly raped a woman while she lay unconscious has been jailed for life.

Aurel Birlan put his victim through a near two-hour ordeal during an attack which only ended when he was confronted by a passer-by.

The offences were committed in Medway during the early hours one morning in December.

Yesterday, Maidstone Crown Court heard how Birlan, of Watts Street, Chatham, was interrupted by a man who had encountered him and the victim in a public place.

The passer-by noticed she was undressed, not moving and appeared to be injured.

He questioned the 44-year-old man about what had happened, before calling 999 and waiting with both the offender and victim until police arrived.

Birlan was arrested at the scene and an investigation was launched.

Police later recovered CCTV which showed the victim's repeat pleas for him to stop and that she was unconscious for more than an hour during the assaults.

Birlan was charged with two counts of rape, and three counts of sexual assault.

He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The judge ordered him to serve a minimum of eight years and three months before he is eligible to be considered for parole.

He was also added to the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject of a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting the victim.

Investigating officer, detective sergeant Kendal Moore said: "Birlan subjected his victim to a prolonged and truly harrowing ordeal, only stopping when a passer-by bravely intervened.

"Today's sentence will hopefully go some way to allowing the victim to live a normal life, knowing at least this dangerous man is now behind bars.

"She has shown tremendous dignity and bravery throughout the course of this investigation and I wish to commend her for that.

He added: "I would also like to thank the member of public who challenged Birlan. His courageous intervention was absolutely vital in ensuring Birlan was promptly arrested and that the victim was also protected from suffering any further harm."