Three Slovak men who abducted, drugged and repeatedly raped a 12-year-old girl in Kent, England, have been jailed for a total of more than 50 years.
At Canterbury crown court, Judge Sarah Counsell sentenced Gunar to 19 years in prison, while Horvath and Turtak were each given 17 years. All three must serve at least two-thirds of their terms before being considered for release and will remain on extended licence for three years afterwards.
Girl fled while captors slept
The court heard that the men had lured the girl into their car in a supermarket car park in Dover in August last year, after she had walked out of her home following an argument with her grandfather. They promised her cigarettes and a phone charger, but once inside the vehicle she begged to be let go. Instead, the doors were locked and she was taken first to a flat in the town and then to a caravan in Folkestone, according to The Sun.
During her ordeal, which lasted three days, the men gave her methamphetamine, cannabis and other drugs before subjecting her to repeated sexual assaults. At one point she was photographed naked in the shower. Prosecutors said the group degraded and exploited her for their own gratification, warning her that she would be killed if she tried to flee.
The girl eventually escaped by climbing through a car window when the men fell asleep. She later disclosed the full extent of the abuse to her father, prompting a major police investigation involving 75 officers. CCTV footage from the Asda car park showed her being lured into the vehicle. Two of the men were arrested within days; Gunar was later detained at Glasgow airport as he prepared to board a flight to Dublin.
Defendants blamed victim in court
Impact statements from the girl and her mother, read in court, described the profound effect of the crimes. The girl said she suffered recurring nightmares and felt she was no longer the same person. Her mother said her once outgoing daughter had become withdrawn, fearful of leaving the house, and unable to sleep or eat properly.
Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters told the court that the defendants had tried to shift responsibility onto their victim during the trial, with Horvath and Gunar laughing as details of their offending were heard. She described their contempt for the child as “enduring and palpable”.
Sentencing, Judge Counsell said: “You are all dangerous. You each pose a significant risk of harm to the public.” The men will also be subject to sexual harm prevention orders and, in the cases of Horvath and Turtak, deportation proceedings.
All the men come from Košice, eastern Slovakia.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Smith of Kent police said it was among the most harrowing cases of child sexual abuse he had encountered. He praised the girl for her bravery in coming forward, adding: “Nobody, let alone a 12-year-old, should have had to go through what she did. I hope these convictions bring some measure of justice for her, although recovery will be a long road.”
