00:00Tears and strong emotions here in Canterbury Crown Court today as three men were sentenced
00:07for drugging and abusing a 12 year old girl in Dover and Folkestone last year.
00:13The court heard how the three men Ernest Gunnar, Kevin Hovath and Ivan Turtac subjected the
00:20girl to what was described by the prosecution as a campaign of rape over three days which
00:27began when she was lured into a car in an Asda car park last August and saw the victim forced
00:34into degrading sexual acts and being drugged with cannabis and crystal meth.
00:42Fighting through the tears, her mother, who we cannot identify for legal reasons, outlined
00:47today how her daughter had become a shadow of her former self without friends, removed
00:53from school and scared to leave the house.
00:57The Slovakian nationals responsible were convicted in June after a jury rejected their claims
01:03that the victim was a willing party and had lied to them about her age and it was during
01:09the trial that Hovath and Gunnar laughed when giving evidence.
01:14All three had previously pled guilty to several offences.
01:18Now the three men collectively face 53 years behind bars, with Mr. Turtac and Mr. Hovath being
01:25sentenced to 17 years each, while Mr. Gunnar faces 19 years in prison for his role in the abuse.
01:33But despite justice being served, the lasting damage won't go away.
01:38As the victim said in her own impact statement read out in court, she keeps having nightmares
01:45about what happened, stating, I don't feel like the same girl anymore.
01:52I just want to be her again.
01:54I hope that I will be her again.
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