An “evil” predator who murdered a “defenceless grandmother” after following her off a bus has been jailed for life.

Valentin Lazar, 21, battered Maria Rawlings with a wooden stick embedded with nails and strangled the 45-year-old in a “savage” act of “exceptional violence”.

Ms Rawlings’ naked body was dumped in undergrowth in Little Heath, Romford, east London, in May last year.

Lazar, who admitted murder, was jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years and six months at the Old Bailey on Thursday.

Her family branded the manual labourer “evil” – as her father, Tony Rawlings, told him: “Your 15 minutes of anger towards a defenceless grandmother has caused me and my family a lifetime of pain.”

Sentencing, Judge Mark Lucraft QC told Lazar: “This murder involved an intoxicated woman alone late at night and she was particularly vulnerable.

“This was a savage and sustained attack and a high degree of pain and suffering was inflicted prior to death.”

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Leaving the victim naked added to her “humiliation and degradation”, he added.

Ms Rawlings visited King George Hospital in Chadwell Heath, east London, after suffering a head injury on 3 May, 2021.

The mum-of-two, who had bipolar disorder and issues with alcohol, sometimes found life a “struggle”, Mr Rawlings told the court.

She left the hospital without being seen and got on a bus at 11pm – when she encountered Lazar.

They both got off the bus when it terminated before CCTV showed them talking – then Lazar led his victim to some bushes where they disappeared from view.

Around 30 minutes later he emerged from the shrubs alone, with Ms Rawlings’ handbag on his shoulder.

He later boarded another bus towards Dagenham before arriving at his home around 1am, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones QC told the court.

Ms Rawlings’ body was discovered by a dog walker the following day, with a baseball cap with Lazar’s DNA left nearby.

A post-mortem examination found she suffered multiple injuries including 15 rib fractures and numerous blows to her head.

Lazar, a Romanian national living in East Ham, east London, was identified following a police appeal.

Family said Ms Rawlings was a “fun-loving soul” who would never cause anyone harm.

Her daughter, Charlee Rawlings, said: “That evil man took a loving daughter, mum and nan.

“I hope that he gets everything he deserves and experiences the pain he has put us all through.”

Meanwhile older daughter, Katie, said her mum was a “bubbly person” who “wore her heart on her sleeve” – as she told how she is haunted by thoughts of Ms Rawlings’ final moments.

Lazar claimed Ms Rawlings was alive when he left her and that he did not intend to kill the victim.

He has offered no explanation for his actions.

Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Mr Rawlings said: “My family and I have endured the most horrific eight months imaginable at the hands of a predator who took my vulnerable, beautiful daughter’s life.”

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