Two Eastern Europeans, suspected of being part of a conspiracy to rape Bradford prostitutes, were being flown to West Yorkshire last night after a four-year international investigation.
Detectives at West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team flew out to Slovakia yesterday to execute international arrest warrants.
Two Slovakian men, aged 28 and 45, were being flown back with the officers and were expected to make a first appearance before Leeds magistrates today.
A third Slovakian man, aged 40, has been arrested and remains in custody in Slovakia. He is also expected to be returned to the UK.
All three men are accused of conspiracy to rape.
West Yorkshire detectives have been continuing inquiries into Slovakian nationals since the conviction of Slovakian father-of-six Lubomir Kora, for conspiracy to rape, in September 2008.
The burly 33-year-old miner was locked up indefinitely and branded a public danger by Judge Roger Scott at Bradford Crown Court .
The court heard how Kora, who lived with his wife and children at a hostel in Idle Road, Bradford, and three other men lured five sex workers into his people-carrier for their own sexual gratification during a campaign of rape in February and March 2008.
It was alleged some of the women were gang-raped in Kora’s vehicle.
One victim’s ordeal was photographed by Kora on his mobile phone and jurors were shown 20 sexually-explicit pictures of the attack.
During his trial, Kora named three relatives whom, he claimed, had sex with the prostitute while he took photographs from the driver’s seat of the people carrier. Judge Scott told Kora the offences were getting worse and “there was every risk that death would result”.
Prosecutor Stephen Wood told the judge police were issuing international arrest warrants to bring other alleged rapists in the gang back to the UK to face justice. They were thought to have fled the country after police began investigating the attacks.
Yesterday, a West Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed: “A 28-year-old man and a 45-year-old man are being brought back from Slovakia under a European arrest warrant to appear before Leeds magistrates.
“A third man, aged 40, has been arrested in Slovakia. All have been detained on suspicion of conspiracy to rape.”
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