Judge John Bevan QC, sentencing the men at the Old Bailey in London, singled out the gang’s treatment of one victim, who had an IQ of just 54. She was repeatedly raped, with men and boys sometimes lining up to abuse her, he said. “To you she was easy meat, a sexual plaything who no one cared about, no one cared for and who nobody would believe. Unfortunately for you, the jury did.”
Zdeno Mirga, 18, Hassan Abdulla, 33, and three boys were convicted at the Old Bailey. The Crown Prosecution Service said it was one of the “worst cases” of child sex abuse it had seen.
The group targeted five girls aged 13 and 14 in Peterborough.
Zdeno Mirga (18 years old), described as the “boss” by one victim, received a sentence of 16 and a half years. He was convicted of eight counts of rape and one count of inciting child prostitution. Made one of his victims pregnant.
“The fact is that the defendants all came to this country with their families between five and 10 years ago and the majority are still teenagers,” he said. “The acquisition of a new language is not difficult if you put your mind to it. They have not attempted to learn the language of the country of their choice. The combination of the crimes you have committed and your attitude to these crimes both in this country and this court bring discredit on all of you in the dock and does a disservice to your fellow Roma who want to work hard in this country, improve themselves and make a positive contribution.”
One of the girls told how she was sexually abused by boys at parties and raped in the children’s play area at the Central Park in the city. A 13-year-old victim was forced to perform sex acts on up to 10 attackers in the park, as one of them urged: “Rape her,” the jury at the Old Bailey heard. She was sold for £20 a time by Mirga so he could spend the money on “weed and vodka”.
The Victim