Romanian killer faces assault charge

A killer who murdered a woman after meeting her on a bus has now been charged with raping her, a court heard. Romanian Valentin Lazar, 23, killed Maria Rawlings, 45, with a wooden stick embedded with nails and a knife on 5 May 2021. He is now charged with raping her before leaving the grandmother naked and dead in the undergrowth. The labourer had crossed paths with Ms Rawlings on a bus before leading her into some nearby shrubbery. Her…