Leeds rape: Man sentenced to 20 years after raping teenager at bus stop while high on glue

Zdenko Turtak, 21, pleaded guilty to the vile attack

A twisted rapist who dragged a teenager from a bus stop while high on toxic glue has today been jailed.

Car wash worker Zdenko Turtak had taken Toluene - a cheap drug which causes hallucinations - when he brutally attacked an 18-year-old woman in Leeds.

The sexual predator was today jailed for 14 years at Leeds Crown Court and told he would spend a further six years on extended licence.

The court heard about the "catastrophic" effect the rape has had on his young victim.

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC, said the attack would affect the victim for the rest of her life.

"The effect has been profound, both now and, so far as one can see, that effect is likely to remain," he said.

"She believes it will affect her whole life, including her prospects of marriage.

"In those short eight minutes you destroyed her young life.

"All her youthful hopes and dreams ebbed away in those few minutes."

The 22-year-old Roma gypsy from Slovakia grabbed the terrified teenager from behind.

He then covered his victim's mouth as he dragged her into a garden and battered her over the head with a rock 18 times.

The whole horrific rape on March 6 lasted just under eight minutes and was captured on CCTV.

When it was over Turtak, who didn't utter a word, calmly walked away leaving her for dead.

When she came round, the teenager managed to stagger away and collapsed in front of passers by gasping the word 'Rape!”

 

The rock used to hit his victim

She suffered a broken pelvis and a fractured skull. She only escaped death because of her hijab headscarf and coat hood.

The teenager, who had only been out alone after a row with her mum, told police from her hospital bed about a distinctive smell.

She said the smell enveloped her and she could not get it out of her nose or mouth.

West Yorkshire Police later discovered this was a potent glue.

After the attack police made appeals to find the rapist.

 

Forensic officers work at the scene following the horrific attack

It emerged he had stalked three other women before he struck on March 6th around 10.40pm.

Three weeks later he left the UK via Dover and returned to the gypsy camp in Slovakia.

Officers were convinced he must come from one of the poorer EU countries and had fled overseas.

They picked a wish list of countries to contact and made an international appeal.

 

Police released this CCTV footage following the attack

Their hard work paid off and a DNA match came back from Slovakia police and he was extradited.

Turtak was in the system for three burglaries of steelworks in Slovakia.

A police officer shocked after viewing the CCTV of the attack asked for “the honour” of being involved in Turtak's detention.

He collected the sexual predator from Liverpool airport and drove him back to custody in Leeds.

Slovakian officers had also sent back a sample of Toluene which British police then asked the victim if it was the same distinctive smell from her attacker.

Turtak comes from Velka Ida, a slum village in south-eastern Slovakia, about 14 miles from the second biggest city of Kosice.

 

This is the bus stop where the terrified teenager was raped and left for dead

He moved to the UK about four years ago with his mum and brother after catching a bus. He used his Slovakian ID card during the £24 trip.

Once in the UK he did various cash-in-hand jobs and did not have a bank account.

Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen, who led the investigation, said it had been “massively challenging”.

He said he feared Turtak would strike again at any moment after the “terrifying” rape.

 

This is an e-fit of the man police released following the brutal attack

“We knew we had to do everything we could to get this man off the streets at the earliest opportunity.

“Turtak is clearly a very dangerous man who on the night of the attack spent a significant amount of time actively stalking women around the city centre with a view to attacking them.

“This victim looked like a 12-year-old so to me he probably thought she was a child.”