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UK: Gang who raped female minors get long sentences

20 February 2014
2 minute read

Today a London court sentenced four men to up to 20 years in prison for committing a series of rapes and other serious sex crimes against female minors. The brutal cases of child abuse occurred in the English town of Peterborough during the course of five months in 2012.

Hassan Abdulla, a 33-year-old man of Kurdish origin, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement. The Sky News television channel reports that the others convicted are Romani men from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Zdeno Mirga, an 18-year-old whom one victim said was the head of the gang, was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison. Another 18-year-old perpetrator was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while a 17-year-old juvenile perpetrator will serve 5.5 years in prison.

Sky News reports that a fifth member of the gang, a 14-year-old juvenile, will not do prison time but will spend six months under the supervision of the authorities. During the trial, which lasted two and a half months, Mirga was found guilty of eight counts of rape and one of soliciting child prostitution.   

"This is one of the worst cases of child sex abuse we have ever seen," Grace Ononiwu, the Chief Crown Prosecutor East of England said after the trial, which ended a month ago. The perpetrators befriended vulnerable girls, giving them alcohol, drugs, money and presents, then used intimidation and violence to control them, detectives testified during the trial.  

Police said the girls were then abused "in a horrific way" not just in parks, but also on a playground. One victim was chained to a gazebo at a playground, where several men raped and sexually abused her. 

One victim was from the Czech Republic, three were English, and another was from Slovakia. All were either 13 or 14 years old at the time of the crimes.

One victim was allegedly mentally retarded and was forced by the boss of the gang to have sex with the others so he could use the money he charged them for her services to buy marijuana and vodka. "He encouraged her, often in a very forceful way, to provide the others with sex," said prosecutor Angela Rafferty, adding that the youth took the girl to parties where she had to sleep with others.

Rafferty said the leader of the gang exploited his power over his victim, threatening her and sometimes using violence. Gary Ridgway, a detective in Peterborough, testified that police officers together with local social services identified young people whom they believed were in risky situations and learned of the gang from them.

"We began speaking with them, and we then identified many people who had abused them," the detective said. "These girls were simply targets because they were vulnerable."  

BBC Television reported that the entire investigation began when one of the 13-year-olds was placed in the care of social services and told social workers what she had been subjected to. Her evidence led police to the whole gang.

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