Three Bedford men who forced a kidnapped woman to take cocaine before raping her found guilty

Three men who kidnapped a woman and forced her to take cocaine before raping her have been found guilty.

The woman was having a night out with friends in Bedford in September 2021 when she was approached in a nightclub by Gemti Hyka, 31, but walked away from him.

He saw her again later in the high street, after she had separated from her friends, when he kidnapped and put her in his car.

He took her to a garage where she tried to signal for help, and then on to a house where his two accomplices were waiting.

At the house in Kempston she was forced to take cocaine before being raped by Hyka and his friends Ibrahim Bezati and Vullnet Haka.

Following a three-week trial at Luton Crown Court, Hyka, of Cambridge Road, Bezati, 36, of Caves Lane, and Haka, 33, of Washburn Close – all from Bedford, were found guilty on Friday of kidnap, false imprisonment and four counts of rape.

The woman eventually managed to escape and flagged down a member of the public who helped her contact the police and family.

Det Con Hannah Latton, from Bedfordshire Police’s rape and serious sexual offences team, said: “This was an horrific case where the victim was effectively targeted by these men, who took her to a property where she was held against her will and repeatedly raped.

“Thankfully incidents such as these are incredibly rare, but the result should serve as reassurance to anyone who has been through the trauma of rape or serious sexual assault. We will believe you and do everything in our power to bring such predators to justice.

“The victim showed tremendous courage by facing her attackers in court, even though they had the audacity to deny the offences, putting her through a further ordeal of re-living the incident during the trial. Her evidence was crucial to ensuring these men will remain behind bars for a considerable amount of time.

“Nobody should feel they cannot speak up about abuse. We will treat every case professionally with the utmost compassion and have specialist officers trained to support people who have experienced such horrendous offences.”

Reports of sexual assault, even if they are not recent, can be made to the police by calling 101 or online. You can also contact the SARC Emerald Centre by visiting the website, emailing info@emeraldcentre.org or calling 01234 897052. Always call 999 in an emergency.