Port worker and two accomplices passed vulnerable child between themselves in “campaign of rape” after luring her into car outside Dover Asda
Three Slovakian men who drugged and repeatedly raped a 12-year-old girl over three days have been jailed for a total of 53 years at Canterbury Crown Court.
Port worker Kevin Horvath, 26, his cousin Ernest Gunar, 27, and Ivan Turtak, 38, passed the young girl among themselves in what prosecutors described as a “campaign of rape” after luring her into their car in Dover. The predators drugged the innocent youth with crystal meth, amphetamine, and cannabis, leaving her wanting to die.
Canterbury Crown Court sentenced Gunar to 19 years in prison, whilst Horvath and Turtak were each sentenced to 17 years. All three will serve a minimum of two-thirds of their tariffs and were given three-year extended licence periods. The court heard that the men would be subject to sexual offenders’ orders and pose a threat to children.
Judge Sarah Counsell told the court the victim still has nightmares, does not have any friends, and cannot feel comfortable around large groups of people. Horvath and Turtak have both signed paperwork for deportation following their prison sentences.
Vulnerable Girl Lured From Asda Car Park
The vulnerable girl was lured by Horvath and Turtak into their silver Skoda Fabia in an Asda supermarket car park in Dover, Kent, on 11 August 2024. She had walked out of her home following a row with her grandfather, with no money, whilst wearing a summer top and leggings.
The men, who were complete strangers to the youngster, offered her a cigarette and a chance to charge her mobile phone. CCTV footage later recovered by police showed the girl begging to be released from the car, as the men locked the car doors and drove to Turtak’s flat in George Street, Dover.
At the flat, she was given crystal meth and forced to commit a sex act on Turtak before he took a “trophy” photo of her naked in a shower. The vulnerable girl was then driven to Gunar’s caravan in Sidney Street, Folkestone, where she was repeatedly raped by both Horvath and Gunar.
Three Days of Horror
Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters told the court: “These defendants were all complicit in drugging, degrading and systematically exploiting the victim for their own sexual gratification.”
During the three-day ordeal, the girl was threatened that she would be killed if she tried to run or raise the alarm. The men’s actions were interspersed with taking her to a cafe and a local swimming pool, but she was too scared to alert anyone to her plight.
The girl managed to escape on 13 August after waking up before her captors. She fled through an open car window whilst Horvath and Turtak were talking outside Turtak’s flat, running head-first through the window in a desperate bid for freedom.
Devastating Impact on Young Victim
Before the men were sentenced, an impact statement from the girl was read to the court in which she laid out the horrendous effect the incident had on her. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “I keep having nightmares about what they did to me, about seeing them again. They seem so real, and I don’t want to go back to sleep.”
“I don’t feel the same girl anymore. I just want to be her again. I hope I will be her again,” she added. The court heard she no longer leaves the house without her parents, has lost all her friends, and becomes stressed and worried around large groups of people.
Her mother told the court her daughter had dragged her mattress into her parents’ bedroom after being found and would wake up “crying in the middle of the night, screaming.” The once confident and sport-loving child who enjoyed being with friends had become a shadow of her former self.
Men Showed No Remorse
The predators tried to blame the victim for “driving the sexual activity,” with Turtak claiming the girl asked him to take a photo of her naked. Horvath and Gunar laughed as the horrifying details were given as evidence of their offences during the trial.
Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters told the court: “Ultimately, they sought to lay much of the blame for their actions as grown men on a 12-year-old child they all raped.” She added the defendants’ contempt for the girl was “enduring and palpable.”
The men claimed during their trial that the girl had told them she was 19 or 20 years old, but Judge Counsell dismissed this, stating: “She does not look anywhere near 19 or 20.”
Swift Police Investigation
House-to-house enquiries immediately following the girl’s escape led to the discovery of CCTV footage showing the victim getting into the silver Skoda Fabia. The registration number was traced to Horvath as the registered owner, who was arrested along with Turtak in the early hours of 15 August.
Gunar was identified as the third offender and arrested three days later at Glasgow Airport in a failed attempt to escape justice. All three were forensically linked to the offences, with DNA found on the victim’s torso, clothing, and intimate body areas. An indecent image of the victim was also found on Turtak’s mobile phone, taken inside his flat.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Smith of Kent Police said: “Kevin Horvath, Ivan Turtak and Ernest Gunar are clearly three very dangerous offenders who thought nothing about picking a child up off the street and effectively keeping her prisoner in order to fulfil their own depraved sexual needs.
Convictions and Sentences
On 19 June 2025, after more than 14 hours of deliberation, a jury at Canterbury Crown Court found the men guilty of multiple offences. Gunar was convicted of two counts of rape against a child under 13, Turtak was convicted of one count of oral rape, and Horvath was convicted of sexual assault of a child under 13.
Horvath had already admitted three counts of rape against a child under 13 and one charge of assault by penetration of a child under 13. Gunar had admitted one charge of rape, whilst Turtak had admitted taking indecent photos of a child.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Catherine Wear said: “The three defendants took a 12-year-old from the street, took full advantage of her, plying her with drugs and using her for their own horrendous gratification. None of us can underestimate the impact this has had on her.”
The judge assessed all three men as dangerous offenders who warranted extended sentences. They will serve two-thirds of their custodial terms before the parole board can consider their eligibility for release. An indefinite restraining order was also imposed on all three defendants.
DCI Smith added: “They will now be behind bars where they belong for a significant period of time, which I hope is of some comfort to the victim and her family as they attempt to rebuild their lives.”
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