Kidnaper and Rapist of 2 Gets Term of 44 Years, 8 Months

A 33-year-old Bulgarian immigrant who kidnaped and sexually assaulted two San Fernando Valley women at knifepoint was sentenced Friday to 44 years and eight months in state prison.

Vasil Petrov of Sepulveda was convicted Nov. 24 by a Van Nuys Superior Court jury of 10 felony counts stemming from assaults on two 24-year-old women in November and December, 1985.

The jury acquitted Petrov of five other counts involving a 14-year-old girl, saying the victim’s description of her assailant did not match the defendant.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Alan B. Haber said Petrov represents “a serious menace to defenseless women.”

Severe Stress Cited

Petrov, who escaped from Bulgaria in 1984, suffers from severe stress because of four earlier escape attempts and subsequent imprisonment in his homeland, according to a psychiatric report in court documents.

One victim testified that Petrov grabbed her as she was walking along a Reseda street and forced her into his car, where he attacked her. The second victim testified that Petrov offered her a ride as she was waiting at a Sun Valley bus stop and, when she accepted, attempted to rape her, but that she escaped.

Petrov, a carpenter, testified that the women consented to have sex with him.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Deborah S. Elliot urged a maximum sentence of 52 years, saying, “It would be horrendous for him ever to be out on the streets again to commit these crimes.”

Petrov will be eligible for parole in about 20 years, Elliot said.