On-the-run rapist who fled Britain on Eurostar after being wrongly freed from jail says he was not challenged by anyone at any point on his journey

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:01, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 13:03, 17 June 2026 An on-the-run rapist who fled Britain on the Eurostar after being wrongly released from prison was not stopped by authorities at any point on his flight. Bernadin Dedic, 48, told the Daily Mail he was able to freely leave the country on his Bosnian passport and was not stopped or questioned by British or French authorities. This is despite him being wrongly released from prison in February while awaiting trial for raping a woman repeatedly at knifepoint after drinking red wine and snorting cocaine. Dedic 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. Speaking from 1,600 miles away in Bosnia, Dedic said: 'I have nothing to hide.'  'I just wanted to have freedom, I didn’t want to stay in prison,' he said.  '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, 48, was in custody to await trial after he repeatedly raped a woman at knifepoint after drinking red wine and snorting cocaine when he was released from prison by mistake Dedic, who left his children behind when he fled the UK, continued to his native Bosnia where it is understood he has been since. In June, he was convicted in his absence 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. 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.' The Home Office has declined to confirm whether extradition proceedings have been put in place for Dedic, saying it does not comment on individual cases. Dedic's trial was initially delayed by a judge in March, who gave him the chance to return to the UK for a new date this month. While on the run from British authorities he has been enjoying skiing trips in Bosnia, and claimed he had injured his leg in an accident so was unable to return for the original scheduled date. But when he failed to appear in court again in June, citing chest pains, the trial proceeded without him. Dedic left the UK on the Eurostar and was not stopped by British or French authorities Now Dedic has blamed his 'mental health' for evading justice and claimed his psychiatrist told him not to get on a plane amid 'flashbacks' to his time in prison. 'It really affected my mental health. I was having flashbacks from the jail. My psychiatrist told me not to go into enclosed spaces, and told me not to go into a plane as it will cause lots of problems for other people.' He said he attempted to travel to the UK anyway, but suffered chest pains and went to hospital. 'The doctor said you cannot go anywhere, you are not fit to do any of this,' Dedic said. Of his time in prison, he complained: 'You’re separated from your family, you’re put in jail where you don't belong, you’re mixing with different types of people. 'People stealing stuff from Tesco, homeless people, and serious murderers. You have to talk to these people, and by talking to them you become one of them.' Dedic told the Daily Mail he wants 'to return to the UK tomorrow' but said he will not do so without the promise of being put on bail while awaiting a new trial, and wants to appeal his convictions all the way up to the European courts. When asked why he does not return to the UK to fight his convictions, he said: 'To come back to the UK and return to jail, no I don’t want it.' A review hearing is due in the case on July 7. Dedic says he has no plans to come to Britain for the hearing, or for sentencing.  His trial heard that Dedic had drunk red wine and snorted cocaine before holding the victim at knifepoint, cutting off her clothes, and threatening to kill her and himself. 'She was terrified and was prepared to do whatever he said,' said prosecutor Simon Sandford, of the sexual attacks that followed. Judge Hannah Duncan concluded she was 'far from convinced he has had a heart attack' when she decided to have a trial in Dedic's absence. She said: 'This is yet another attempt by Mr Dedic to obstruct, manipulate and avoid justice.' The Home Office has been contacted for comment.  The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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