Romanian Grooming Gang Boss Offered £1,500 to Leave UK While Awaiting Trial for 10 Rapes, Sky News Investigation Reveals

A Sky News investigation has uncovered a series of shocking failures inside the UK’s immigration system after it emerged that the ringleader of a Romanian grooming gang was offered £1,500 by the Home Office to leave the country while he was in prison awaiting trial for serial rapes.

The revelations centre on 38-year-old Mircea Marian Cumpanasoiu, who led an Eastern European criminal network that raped, drugged, and exploited vulnerable women across Dundee. Despite standing accused of ten rapes—part of a wider catalogue of trafficking and sexual offences—officials attempted to remove him under a “voluntary return” scheme designed to encourage foreign nationals to leave Britain with cash incentives.

Sky News can reveal that:

• The Home Office offered Cumpanasoiu £1,500 to voluntarily leave the UK while held on remand at HMP Perth in summer 2024.
   
• The department later reversed course, recognising that he could not be deported while awaiting trial.
   
• His immigration status was then automatically renewed under the EU Settlement Scheme during his rape trial in December 2024.
   
• The Home Office has only revoked his status after weeks of questioning by Sky News.
   

The case raises profound questions about public safety, the integrity of immigration controls and the oversight of post-Brexit automated processes that renew immigration status without human review.

The Crimes: A Grooming Ringleader Who Exploited Vulnerable Women

Cumpanasoiu, described by prosecutors as a “winking, smirking pimp”, ran a violent trafficking network with accomplices Remus Stan, Alexandra Bugonea, Cristian Urlateanu, and Catalin Dobre. He oversaw an operation that relocated women between brothels in Dundee, subjected them to rape, forced prostitution, and degradation, and used drugs and intimidation to keep them compliant.

One chilling image released by prosecutors shows him winking mockingly into the camera near a Dundee brothel. Another video captured a terrified victim climbing a tree to escape his wrath after failing to earn enough money for him.

In October 2025, he received a 24-year extended sentence, including 20 years in prison, for rape, human trafficking and other sexual offences.

It is against this backdrop that Sky News uncovered serious failings in how the state handled his immigration status.

The £1,500 “Voluntary Return” Offer Made in Prison

Multiple Sky News sources confirmed that Home Office staff personally visited HMP Perth in August 2024, where Cumpanasoiu was being held on remand awaiting trial. During that meeting:

• Officials presented him with a voluntary return form,
   
• Explained he could receive £1,500 in cash to leave the UK immediately,
   
• And told him he would be assisted in returning to Romania.
   

The voluntary return scheme is designed to reduce immigration enforcement costs by encouraging foreign nationals to depart willingly. It is normally aimed at:

• those overstaying visas
   
• individuals struggling to fund their own travel
   
• low-risk immigration offenders
   

It is not designed for dangerous individuals imprisoned for serious crimes.

According to sources, Cumpanasoiu “expressed a desire to return home” at the meeting. But the plan was soon blocked internally when someone realised removing a man awaiting trial for rape was legally impossible.

The Home Office did not dispute the account when approached by Sky News.

Immigration Status Renewed During Rape Trial

As startling as the deportation offer was, Sky News discovered an even more extraordinary development:

On 2 December 2024—midway through his grooming gang trial—Cumpanasoiu’s pre-settled EU status was automatically renewed.

His status had been due to expire, but because of changes introduced by the Home Office in September 2023, many EU nationals now receive automated digital extensions unless a manual review blocks the renewal.

In this case, no one intervened.

This meant that, while facing ten rape charges and allegations of human trafficking, the gang leader’s legal status in the UK was extended electronically—with no human oversight.

One source close to the proceedings described the situation as:

“Incompetence, plain and simple.”

Only after Sky News contacted the Home Office for weeks did officials confirm his status had finally been revoked.

“The Optics Are Not Great”: Legal Experts Alarmed

Human rights lawyer Professor Jen Ang of the University of Glasgow told Sky News that while most of the millions processed under the EU Settlement Scheme are law-abiding citizens, the government absolutely had the power—and obligation—to intervene here.

“The Home Office did have the power to stop automatic renewal.
 At any point where someone becomes unsuitable for settled status, officials can intervene.”

She added bluntly:

“The optics of this, in the context of such a high-profile and horrific crime, are not great.”

Leading defence lawyer Thomas Leonard Ross KC agreed, pointing out that the new automated model is efficient in 99.9% of cases—but dangerously flawed when no red flag triggers human review.

“He has been assessed as extremely dangerous.
 The public is perfectly entitled to be concerned.”

Home Office Responds: Deportation “At the Earliest Opportunity”

Following Sky News inquiries, the Home Office finally revoked Cumpanasoiu’s immigration status.

A spokesperson said:

“This man will serve his sentence for the abhorrent crimes he committed and will be considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.
 A deportation order will automatically trigger revocation of his right to be in the UK.”

But the department declined to explain:

• why deportation was offered before trial
   
• why his status was renewed automatically
   
• why no safeguards flagged his case
   
• why the renewal was only reviewed after media intervention

Criticism from Rape Crisis Scotland

Rape Crisis Scotland said the entire episode raises serious concerns about how the immigration system interacts with criminal justice processes.

A spokesperson said:

“This was a horrific case involving numerous vulnerable survivors who showed tremendous strength and courage.
 It is not clear why the Home Office attempted to intervene before a trial had begun.”

They warned that survivors must have full confidence that criminal proceedings will run their course without administrative interference.

What Is the EU Settlement Scheme—and Why Did It Fail Here?

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), introduced after Brexit, allows EU citizens and their families to continue living and working legally in the UK. It consists of:

Settled Status

• Granted to people living in the UK for 5+ years
   
• Allows indefinite stay
   
• Not time-limited
   

Pre-Settled Status

• Granted to people with less than 5 years' residence
   
• Must be renewed
   
• Automatically extended due to rule changes in 2023
   

In 2023, the Home Office introduced automatic extensions to pre-settled status to avoid people falling out of lawful residence due to administrative delays.

This system worked well for millions.

But for offenders like Cumpanasoiu, automation allowed dangerous individuals to slip through without caseworker review.

A Timeline of Failure

Summer 2024

• Home Office staff visit HMP Perth
   
• Offer Cumpanasoiu £1,500 to leave the UK
   
• Plan halted after legal risk becomes clear
   

December 2024

• Cumpanasoiu stands trial for ten rapes
   
• His pre-settled status is automatically renewed electronically
   

October 2025

• Sentenced to 24-year extended sentence
   

November 2025

• After extensive questioning by Sky News, the Home Office revokes his status

Broader Questions About Systemic Failures

This case exposes systemic vulnerabilities:

1. Automation without oversight
    Dangerous individuals may have their status quietly extended without human review.
    
2. Lack of coordination between criminal justice and immigration systems
    Prison services, courts and the Home Office appear to have operated in silos.
    
3. Foreign offender removal failures
    Offering a serious violent offender money to leave before trial raises ethical and legal concerns.
    
4. Accountability gaps
    Only media pressure prompted the Home Office to revisit the case.

A Case That Should Never Have Happened

For the survivors of Cumpanasoiu’s crimes, the revelations are particularly distressing. At a time when trafficking victims face immense barriers to justice, the idea that their abuser could have received public funds to avoid trial entirely is deeply alarming.

Legal experts warn that this case should prompt urgent review of:

• automated immigration decisions
   
• foreign national offender processes
   
• Home Office oversight mechanisms
   

As the Home Office faces mounting pressure over grooming gangs and public safety, this case raises a fundamental question:

How many other dangerous offenders have been quietly renewed under automated systems?

For now, the Home Office insists Cumpanasoiu will remain behind bars for decades—and will be deported at the earliest possible moment. But the failures that allowed his status to be renewed have shaken public confidence and triggered calls for immediate reform.

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