Trial Begins for Three Men Accused of Raping Schoolgirl in Kent

Three men—Ivan Turtak, Kevin Horvath, and Ernest Gunar—are on trial at Canterbury Crown Court accused of repeatedly raping a young girl after spotting her alone in an Asda car park. Prosecutors allege the men, who were strangers to the girl, enticed her into a car with the promise of a cigarette, then took her to various locations where she was plied with drugs, threatened, and subjected to sexual abuse. The girl reported being passed between the men 'like a receptacle' and was threatened with violence or death if she tried to escape or raise the alarm. Tests later revealed she had crystal meth and THC in her system when found by police, and she was not wearing her own clothes. Turtak has admitted to taking an indecent photo of the girl but denies rape, while Horvath and Gunar have admitted to some charges but deny others. The prosecution described the defendants' conduct as 'callous, degrading, and exploitative,' emphasizing the girl's vulnerability and the calculated nature of the abuse.