Not Enough Punishment? Slovakian Men Sentenced To 53 Years For Luring, Drugging And Raping 12 Year-Old

A vulnerable 12-year-old girl's harrowing three-day ordeal at the hands of three Slovak predators has ignited fury over whether a combined 53-year prison sentence truly delivers justice for child rape in the UK.

Kevin Horvath, Ivan Turtak, and Ernest Gunar lured the schoolgirl from a Dover Asda car park on 11 August 2024, drugging her with crystal meth before a relentless campaign of assaults that left her yearning for death.

Asda Car Park Encounter Turns to Nightmare

On 11 August 2024, Kevin Horvath, 26, and Ivan Turtak, 38, both residing in Dover, spotted the 12-year-old alone in the Asda supermarket car park in Kent. Offering a cigarette as bait, they coaxed her into Horvath's silver Skoda, swiftly driving her to Turtak's nearby flat where the first assaults began.

Ernest Gunar, 27, Horvath's cousin from Folkestone, soon joined them, turning the flat into a den of horror. The trio plied her with crystal meth, amphetamine, and cannabis to subdue her resistance.

Their contempt was evident: they filmed her drugged state and Turtak snapped a naked 'trophy' photo of her in the bathtub, prosecutors later revealed. They threatened to kill her if she spoke out, erased her phone's calls history, and treated her as mere prey in a calculated bid for gratification.

Drug-Fuelled Abuse Across Dover and Folkestone

Over the next two days, the men shuttled the girl to Gunar's caravan on Arthur Street in Folkestone, where repeated rapes and sexual acts unfolded in a haze of narcotics. By 13 August 2024, her body bore their DNA on her torso, clothes, and intimate areas, evidence that would seal their fate months later.

She escaped by leaping from a window while they slept, staggering to safety where police found her distraught in Dover that afternoon. Kent Police traced the Skoda's plates to Horvath, leading to swift arrests of him and Turtak. Gunar fled to Glasgow Airport, but was apprehended three days later.

In court, their lies claiming she said she was 19 crumbled under forensic scrutiny, exposing a group dynamic built on grooming and coercion.

Court Convicts Trio on Child Rape Charges After Gruelling June Trial

Convictions landed in June 2025 at Canterbury Crown Court. Horvath pleaded guilty to three child rapes and assault by penetration, and was convicted of sexual assault. Turtak was found guilty of child rape and possession of indecent images. Gunar admitted one rape and was convicted of two additional counts.

Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters branded their blame-shifting 'enduring and palpable', noting, 'These defendants were all compliant in drugging, degrading and systematically exploiting the victim for their own sexual gratification.'

Judge Sarah Counsell, remanding them until sentencing, noted: 'There were elements of planning and you acted together to commit these offences and you used drugs to facilitate your offending.' The men's lack of remorse led to them being classified as dangerous offenders, warranting extended terms.

Sentence Sparks Backlash: Justice or Slap on Wrist?

On 12 September 2025, Gunar received 19 years, while Horvath and Turtak 17 each—53 years combined—plus three-year extended licences and indefinite restraining orders. All must serve at least two-thirds of their terms, with sexual offender tags post-release, yet critics howl it's insufficient for ruining a child's life.

The victim's statement pierced the court: 'I keep having nightmares... I don't feel like the same girl anymore. I just want to be her again.' Her mother echoed, 'She doesn't leave the house without me... She won't go out other than that,' describing her daughter's isolation and lost confidence.

Activist Sammy Woodhouse captured public sentiment in a post on X dated 24 June 2025: 'We need the death penalty. These sick bastards need to be put down!' With UK child sexual abuse reports up 15% in 2025, calls intensify for mandatory life terms in grooming cases.

Judge Counsell noted the 'profound' impact, yet sentencing guidelines cap such offences at 19 years, even for crimes of such horrors.