Aberfan: Man admits attempted murder of pregnant woman

Daniel Mihai Popescu appeared in court in December

A 29-year-old man has admitted the attempted murder of a pregnant woman.

Daniel Popescu, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Andreea Pintili in Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil county, on 5 December 2023.

Popescu, who appeared in Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, also admitted to stalking offences.

He will be sentenced on 28 May and was told to expect an immediate custodial sentence. He was remanded in custody until sentencing.

The court heard between 25 October 2023 and 6 December 2023, Popescu stalked and harassed Ms Pintili by following her and attempting to call from withheld numbers.

It also heard he video recorded her and posted on TikTok, along with sitting outside her address.

He denied a further charge of intimidation. The CPS said it did not seek a trial on that matter, given the guilty plea in relation to the attempted murder charge.

The judge, Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, told Popescu "only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate in this case".

She ordered a pre-sentence report, which she said would help her assess how dangerous Popescu is.