71-year-old man investigated for trafficking an 11-year-old girl for seven years in Bucharest
A septuagenarian and a 51-year-old man are detained on suspicion of human trafficking of minors and rape, after DIICOT discovered the sexual exploitation of a minor recruited at age 11.
Two men detained after sexually exploiting a minor recruited at age 11
Two men from Bucharest — one aged 71 and another aged 51 — are being investigated for human trafficking of minors and rape, according to News.ro. The case handled by DIICOT prosecutors reveals that the victim, from a poor family, was recruited at approximately 11 years of age and sexually exploited for over seven years.
According to DIICOT documents released on Thursday, in spring 2019 the 71-year-old man allegedly took advantage of the minor's "evident state of vulnerability" — lacking family support, having abandoned schooling and living in acute poverty — and recruited her for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Beginning in mid-2019, he allegedly forced her to engage in webcam activities in apartments in sectors 2 and 3 of Bucharest, obtaining financial benefits. Between autumn 2021 and summer 2022, he allegedly also forced her to engage in paid sexual relations both with people from his circle and with clients identified through profile websites.
"The prosecutors state that throughout this entire period the exploiter repeatedly engaged in sexual relations with the injured minor, taking advantage of the moral ascendancy he exercised over her, consolidated through the provision of housing, the offering of gifts, and the victim's inability to express her will," the DIICOT statement reads.
The second suspect: the "lover boy" method and prostitution in Germany
From January 2022, the same minor was recruited by the second man, aged 51, also for the purpose of sexual exploitation. He allegedly exploited the victim's vulnerability — stemming from her age, lack of family support and use of prohibited substances — and forced her to engage in paid sexual relations.
According to DIICOT, the man allegedly recommended the minor's sexual services to people in his circle, identified clients and rented several apartments in the central area of the capital where the victim engaged in prostitution. "In return, in the context of activities exploiting the victim, he allegedly obtained benefits of a sexual nature without paying her any sum of money," the prosecutors clarify.
During the course of this year, the same 51-year-old man recruited another victim, an adult woman, through the "lover boy" method. Exploiting her feelings and state of vulnerability and resorting to psychological and physical violence, he allegedly forced her to engage in prostitution both in Buzău and Bucharest as well as in localities in Germany. The investigation shows he exercised "strict control over the victim's activity, her schedule, the clients with whom she engaged in sexual relations, the rates charged and the sums of money obtained".
Recommendation for preventive arrest before Bucharest Court
Both men are detained. On Thursday, the judge for rights and freedoms at Bucharest Court was to rule on the proposal for preventive arrest submitted in their names by DIICOT prosecutors.
Source: News.ro