Bedford men guilty of rape after woman kidnapped on night out

Three men have been convicted after a woman was kidnapped, held prisoner and raped following a night out in Bedford.

The victim had spent the evening of 3 September last year in town with a friend at a local nightclub. The two friends got separated, and the next thing the woman knew she was in a car with a man she didn’t recall meeting before.

Gemti Hyka, 31, drove the woman under false pretences to a house in Kempston where he was joined by two other men – 36-year-old Ibrahim Bezati and 33-year-old Vullnet Haka. The three men kept the victim there against her will, plying her with alcohol and drugs. After she attempted to raise the alarm by calling family and friends, Hyka forced her upstairs, covered her face with a pillow and raped her.

The Crown Prosecution Service’s case was that it wasn’t just Hyka who took advantage of the woman’s vulnerable state that night; Bezati also raped and sexually assaulted her.  

The victim was finally able to escape the next morning; she ran from the house flagging down a passing motorist who took her to a local supermarket where she reported the attack to police.

Hyka and Bezati admitted having sex with the woman during police interviews, but both insisted she had consented. Haka denied any involvement. Prosecutors said that all three acted together to encourage the rape of the woman and were all therefore equally responsible for the attack.

A jury found all three men guilty of rape and false imprisonment today at Luton Crown Court. Hyka was also convicted of kidnap. 
 
Senior Crown Prosecutor Paula Appiah for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “These three men cruelly took advantage of a young woman who was clearly vulnerable and in no position to give consent on the night she was attacked. 

“It has taken an incredible amount of courage for the victim to relive her terrifying experience in court. Her bravery has played a crucial part in securing today’s convictions.

“The Crown Prosecution Service takes rape and serious sexual offences extremely seriously and we are committed to working with the police in bringing these crimes before the court whenever the evidence supports a prosecution.”

Martin Mulgrew, Senior Crown Advocate for the CPS and trial counsel, added: “The victim in this case was extremely courageous in giving evidence following what was a horrific and terrifying ordeal.”