Girl kidnapped from outside Harrods before being drugged and sexually assaulted, court hears

By Will Conroy

A nine-year-old girl was kidnapped from outside Harrods before being drugged and sexually assaulted by a man, a jury has been told.

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Robert Prussak, 57, approached the girl after she became separated from her family during a trip to London from France on 22 April last year, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

She later told police that the defendant, of no fixed address, took her to his flat a few minutes' away before he allegedly took her to a park where he sexually assaulted her.

The girl was reunited with her family after she was spotted with Mr Prussak walking past the Israeli embassy by a Metropolitan Police officer who had been informed that she was missing, the court heard.

Mr Prussak, 57, denies three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, one count of kidnapping, one count of committing an offence of kidnapping with an intent to commit a sexual offence, and one count of administering a substance with intent.

Nneka Akudolu KC, prosecuting, told the court the girl became lost while visiting the central London department store with her family, who told police they were "so mesmerised" by the size of Harrods that they "momentarily" did not pay attention to the children.

"Once they looked around again, [the girl] was not with them," Ms Akudolu said, describing what then took place as "every parent's worst nightmare".

She told the court Mr Prussak asked the girl if she needed help and “tricked her” before leading her away from where her family last saw her and “back to his flat”.

Ms Akudolu said the girl told police Mr Prussak had asked her a lot of questions, including whether she had her parents' number.

Jurors were shown a video of an interview conducted with the girl after the alleged incident."He said to me would you like me to help you, and I said yes," she said.

The pair then walked for a few minutes before entering Prussak's apartment, where he offered her something to drink, she said.

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Ms Akudolu said: "Once there, she watched TV and was given a drink which she described as 'bitter', she didn't like it."

"He offered her another drink which she declined, but he told her that she should drink because the apartment was 'humid'.”

The defendant later took the child to a park where he sexually assaulted her, Ms Akudolu said.

The girl told him to stop and, when she began to feel ill, asked Mr Prussak to take her to the emergency services, which he agreed to, the court heard.

The court heard that while the girl was with Mr Prussak, her family were searching for her in Harrods and gave a description of their daughter to staff, who searched their CCTV network for footage of her.

A search for the nine-year-old girl began, including of nearby shops and restaurants, after a police officer arrived and showed the family an image of a man walking away with their daughter.

The court heard Mr Prussak and the girl were spotted walking past the Israeli embassy by a Metropolitan Police officer who had been informed that she was missing.

The officer approached Mr Prussak, who said he had spent the past three hours searching for police, the jury was told.

Mr Prussak was arrested at the scene on suspicion of kidnap and officers interviewed the girl before she was taken to hospital, where she was reunited with her family.

A urine sample was collected from her and was found to contain diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl - an antihistamine which typically causes drowsiness, jurors heard.

The trial continues.