WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Kevin Horvath, 26, Ivan Turtak, 38, and Ernest Gunar, 27, were all convicted at Canterbury Crown Court after jurors were told the child was ‘used, abused, and discarded’
Three men who abducted a 12-year-old girl from an Asda car park and subjected her to a horrific 72-hour ordeal of rape and drug abuse have been sentenced to a combined total of 53 years in prison.
Kevin Horvath, 26, Ivan Turtak, 38, and Ernest Gunar, 27 were all found guilty following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court. Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters told the jury that the vulnerable child had been “used, abused, and discarded like trash”.
In the aftermath of the verdict, the girl’s parents revealed the devastating impact on their daughter, who was once confident and outgoing. They shared that she now fears the dark, is terrified of being alone, and can only find peace at night if she sleeps in their bedroom.
The young victim was enticed into their vehicle in an Asda car park in Dover, Kent by Horvath and Turtak. She was administered drugs, including crystal meth and amphetamine, and repeatedly raped and subjected to sexual acts by the pair, along with Gunar.
The harrowing ordeal began on August 11 and didn’t conclude until August 13, when the brave girl managed to escape through a window – despite the men threatening to kill her if she attempted to flee, reports the Mirror.
Ms Llewellyn-Waters stated: “She was passed around and treated effectively as a receptacle for their own sexual gratification, and the defendants’ conduct was callous, degrading, and entirely exploitative.”
Following the men’s convictions, her mother, who cannot be identified to safeguard her daughter’s anonymity, revealed: “She doesn’t want to do anything now. She doesn’t leave the house without me, her dad, or his dad. She won’t go out of the house other than that.
“She dragged her mattress into our bedroom when she was found. She slept in my room. She’d wake up crying and screaming in the middle of the night.”
When the traumatised youngster was initially discovered, she first insisted she had “walked to Folkestone and back”. However, once she returned home safely, she broke down and revealed to her parents what had truly occurred.
Her mother described how she was “absolutely terrified” while waiting to provide police with full details of what Turtak, Horvath, and Gunar had subjected her to.
Her mother continued: “She was absolutely terrified. Telling me that she wanted to die. She went very withdrawn – a completely different child.”
The girl’s parents explained they had always been cautious with their daughter and rarely permitted her to venture out alone. The greatest independence they had previously granted her was a stroll to the local park or a quick shopping excursion with mates – where she was consistently collected and delivered by an adult at predetermined times.
Her father stated: “We’d never let her just go out. Our main thing would be getting her friends to come to us. They used to come to us a lot, didn’t they?” Her mother chimed in: “We’d always have to make sure we knew where she was, who she was with. Normally, we’d get her friends to come round, because we’ve got a garden here.”
During the trial at Canterbury Crown Court, it was revealed that the girl had been abused in three different locations: the car she was enticed into, Turtak’s flat in Dover, and a squalid caravan in Folkestone.
Despite the girl’s detailed testimony, Turtak insisted she had misrepresented her age – claiming he, Horvath, and Gunar would never have interacted with her if they had known she was only 12. However, the jury found him guilty of rape of a child under 13.
He had already admitted to taking indecent photos of a child.
In the meantime, Horvath, who had previously admitted to three counts of rape of a child under 13, and one count of assault by penetration of a child under 13, was also found guilty of sexual assault of a child under 13.
Gunar, who had earlier confessed to one count of rape of a child under 13, was convicted of an additional two counts of rape of a child under 13.
The girl’s parents have praised her incredible bravery following the harrowing experience – made even more traumatic by the invasive process of evidence collection. She endured intimate medical examinations, abstained from baths or showers to allow for forensic evidence gathering, and adhered to strict medication schedules and blood tests to minimise the risk of contracting a lethal infection such as HIV or hepatitis.
Recalling the moment she managed to escape, her mum shared: “She was very brave to chance her arm and think, ‘I can get out of this’. She said she sat there for a couple of minutes – debating whether to try it. In the end she said she ‘just knew she had to get out’ so she just went head first through the window.”
Today, Turtak and Hovarth were each sentenced to 17 years in prison with an additional three years on extended licence. Gunar received a 19-year sentence with an additional three years on extended licence.
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, Home – Victim Support.
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