A renowned Instagram model was drugged, kidnapped, and raped by her dentist while undergoing dental treatment. The Romanian dentist, who was later found guilty, has been sentenced to ten years in prison.
Beauty influencer Stefania Costache, known as Lolrelai to her 240,000 Instagram followers, expressed gratitude to those who supported her, stating: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who contributed to this true victory...it can be done in Romania as well! Thank you to the other victims who have come out and told their story of what my abuser did to them."
Stefania Costache Exposes Alleged Abuse
Costache accused her dentist, Costin Iulian Berechet, of drugging her in his office in 2020 and assaulting her at his home after offering her free dental work.
Romanian publication Observator News reported that Costache, who decided to go public to raise awareness, said Berechet applied a gel with a vinegar-like taste to her mouth during a dental appointment, instructing her to keep it in for two minutes without rinsing.
"I asked if I could rinse now, and he said no, that I had to swallow. That was the moment when everything had become too strange," she said. The model claims the dentist took her to his home to take advantage of her.
CCTV footage captured them in the stairwell of his building. Investigators concluded that the woman was visibly disoriented and confused. Later, Costache returned home, prompting his flatmate to alert emergency services due to the young woman's condition.
"My flatmate told me what happened because I had no memories; ever since then, I said I'm going to the police today. I couldn't remember anything," she told Observator News.
Costache's March vlog sparked a police investigation after she revealed Berechet had contacted her on social media. "In January 2020, the doctor wrote to me on Instagram to offer a barter, or at least that's what I understood," she said.
"I had some problems with my teeth; they were quite visible, but they cannot be solved because of the amount it costs. I saw the opportunity to solve them when he wrote to me and decided to see what could be done," Costache explained.
Berechet vehemently denied the allegation, insisting that he had administered lidocaine, a local anaesthetic. The dentist further claimed that he merely escorted his patient back to her home due to her apparent discomfort.
Stefania's Story Inspires Other Victims To Come Forward
However, on September 19, judges at Bucharest District Court 1 found him guilty of sexual assault and false imprisonment. The court also ordered Berechet to pay Costache 50,000 euros in moral damages. Costache, who was praised for forcing police to act by going public with the allegations, testified in court.
Other victims, who had suffered similar ordeals but were not part of the current case, also shared their experiences. According to Adrian Cuculis, Costache's lawyer, multiple women had come forward with accusations of similar misconduct, but other prosecutors rejected their claims for lack of proof.
Instances of the case are quite similar to a high-profile rape trial in Avignon, France, involving dozens of men accused of attacking an unconscious woman whose husband drugged her repeatedly over a decade.
Dominique Pelicot, 71, and his 50 co-defendants could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted in the trial, shocking the world and riveting the French public. Thousands marched in French cities last month to protest rape and support the main plaintiff in a mass sexual assault trial.
Gisele Pelicot, 71, a survivor who has bravely waived her anonymity, has become a symbol of rape victims in France. The trial has captured international attention.
