A 26-year-old, originally from Cuba, described her gang rape by the two Pakistanis who took her at gunpoint to an abandoned house in a deserted location in the Kilkis Zones, which occurred in front of her partner’s frightened eyes, before the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki.
The shocking incident took place on the evening of January 14, 2022, and three men from Pakistan, aged 22 to 30, were in the dock on Thursday, accused of conspiracy to rob the couple and three of their compatriots, who crossed the border together them that night and for the consecutive rape of the 26-year-old.
The court unanimously found the defendants guilty, without recognising any mitigating circumstances. The two were sentenced to life imprisonment plus an additional 16.5 years, while the third defendant, who was convicted of robbery and accessory to rape, was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison (suspended for 20).
In their testimonies, the first of the three defendants admitted to the act of robbery while denying the rape. The second defendant denied any involvement in the case, saying that “I have no need to rob, because I have money”. The third admitted in court that he had sexual intercourse with the 26-year-old, but claimed that it was done with the consent and desire of the victim, denying the rape.
How they robbed and raped the couple from Cuba
According to the indictment, the couple’s nightmare began at 8:30 p.m. on January 14, 2022, when they and three other compatriots illegally crossed the Greek border from North Macedonia and walked to the hotel where they would be staying in Kilkis.
The three Pakistanis met them on the road and after parking their car on an adjacent dirt road, got out armed with pistols and drove them to a nearby deserted location. After removing all their belongings, including money, mobile phones and passports, they then forcibly grabbed the 26-year-old and led her into the abandoned house where they raped her.
Throughout the gang-rape, the 26-year-old’s partner was on the ground and was being held by one of the three defendants under the threat of violence, while in his attempt to react to protect the young girl, he received a strong blow to the head with a bat.
The 26-year-old Cuban described in court the nightmare she lived through at the hands of the Pakistanis who abused her body one after the other, threatening her with a pistol.
The testimony of the 26-year-old
As she said in her testimony, the perpetrators abused her one after the other, as when the first abused her, he moves so the next could unleash his own sick appetites.
“My partner realised what was happening and tried to react, even though he was at gunpoint, so one of them hit him on the head with a wooden bat,” the woman said.
“I was in a state of shock and trying to understand what had happened and how we could move on immediately afterwards. My partner and I just hugged and decided that we should continue on our way to get to the hotel and meet my mother,” added the 26-year-old victim.
According to her, the attackers were wearing protective masks on their faces, but they removed them during the rape and this how she was able to identify them.
“Then we continued on our way to the hotel. There we met my mother. The next day, as soon as we left the hotel, my partner realised that the one who was outside and the other two were waiting a little further away. He started running towards them and stopped one of them, then we called the police who arrested them. One of them had a gun on him,” noted the victim, with the police witness testifying later in the process, that the perpetrator’s pistol was armed.
“They raped my partner”
The 26-year-old’s partner, himself a victim of the perpetrators, described in turn how the perpetrators spotted them, immobilised them and attacked them.
“When we entered Greek territory we arrived at a hotel and went to buy water from a gas station. About 100 metres away, two unknown people approached us and asked us what country we were from. We continued walking and after 7-8 kilometres we saw a car moving suspiciously,” he testified.
“A little later, three people came down and threatened us with weapons. They forced us to follow them, took us to an abandoned building and took all our belongings. They never entered the building, the entire robbery incident happened outside.
“All three had guns. In addition to the robbery, they raped my partner.
“They forced us to our knees. One pulled her away and had already started doing some actions, fondling and kissing her. When I tried to react he threatened me with the gun and they beat me with the bat.
“It was a difficult time, I didn’t know if we would make it out alive and I was thinking the worst. One had a gun in one hand and a club in the other, while the second person was in between. When the first assailant left the building, the second entered.
“Everyone knew very well what they were doing, they had pre-planned and were very well coordinated.”
The 26-year-old’s partner testified that after the incident they continued on their way to Polykastro Kilkis, while the next day they saw the perpetrators outside the hotel where they were staying and together with their compatriots managed to immobilise one, until the police arrived and to arrest them.
READ MORE: ATHENS: “I saw the fear in her eyes,” says neighbour who saw the 17-year-old after the Pakistani raped her.
