Convicted Rapist Blerim Hajdarmataj Jailed After Illegally Re-Entering UK

A convicted rapist has been jailed once again after being caught living unlawfully in south Essex, having illegally re-entered the United Kingdom.

Hajdarmataj was originally sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for rape and sexual assault, but was deported from the country in 2019 after serving the custodial portion of his sentence. He has now been returned to prison following his arrest by law enforcement officers in Rayleigh.

Blerim Hajdarmataj, 35, appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, sitting as a satellite courtroom for Basildon Crown Court, on Wednesday, August 20, 2026.

He pleaded guilty to knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order and breaching his sex offender notification requirements by failing to notify police of his return and updated address details.

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The court heard that Hajdarmataj, who previously worked as a cleaner, met an 18-year-old woman in a Chelmsford bar in September 2014.

After declining an invitation to return to his home, the woman recalled feeling the room spin before waking up the following day in his bed with physical injuries including scratches, bruises, and bite marks.

She fled the address while being pursued by Hajdarmataj and successfully flagged down a passing vehicle for assistance.

Hajdarmataj, who has also operated under the aliases Ben Mata and Rinor Hajdarmataj, absconded during his court proceedings in the summer of 2016 while living in Chelmsford.

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He was subsequently convicted in his absence of rape and sexual assault. Following an international search, he was traced to Albania and arrested upon crossing the border into Kosovo.

Extradited to the UK under a European arrest warrant, he was sentenced in February 2017 to eight years’ imprisonment before being formally deported in 2019.

Despite his expulsion, law enforcement authorities discovered Hajdarmataj residing in Rayleigh, south Essex, in July 2026, having re-entered the country in contravention of his legal expulsion directive.

Judge Richard Conley sentenced Hajdarmataj to 16 months’ imprisonment for failing to comply with his sex offender notification requirements.

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He imposed a concurrent sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment for the offense of returning to the United Kingdom in breach of the deportation order.

Under statutory guidelines, any custodial sentence of 12 months or more automatically initiates formal deportation proceedings upon completion, so he will be deported again upon release.