PETR KUDELKA SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS FOR GROOMING AND RAPE NEAR LUTON HOO

In March 2014, Petr Kudelka, a 32-year-old man living on Harefield Road in Luton, was sentenced to ten years in prison for grooming a young girl and then raping her in woods near Luton Hoo.

Kudelka, a father of one and originally from Czechoslovakia, had posed as a 17-year-old boy after making initial contact with a troubled schoolgirl who had recently turned 15. The court heard that he quickly engaged in sexual conversations with her and sent an intimate photo of himself.

Luton Crown Court was told on Friday that Kudelka persuaded the girl to provide her postcode, and on September 22nd of the previous year, he drove to the area close to her home after arranging to meet her. She expected to meet a much younger boy but was approached by Kudelka, who then led her into his car and drove away.

Kudelka pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including meeting a child following sexual grooming, two counts of sexual assault, possessing a prohibited weapon (pepper spray), raping the girl, and possessing indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Jacqueline Matthew-Stroud explained that the victim was a troubled teenager with problems at school. In September 2013, she visited an online chat room where she believed she was speaking with a 17-year-old. The defendant had deliberately steered their conversations toward sexual topics and asked if she would meet him.

Despite knowing she was only 15, Kudelka parked near her home in Luton on September 22nd, 2013, waiting for her to arrive. He then drove her out of Luton to a layby near Luton Hoo and led her into woodland, where he proceeded to rape her.

After the assault, he drove her back into Luton and left her at the top of her street. He was arrested on September 27th, 2013, during which he claimed that all he had done was kiss the girl. Authorities later found indecent images of young girls on his computer.

Defence lawyer Robert English acknowledged Kudelka's interest in younger females but noted that it was unacceptable and that he recognizes this behavior.

Judge Michael Kay QC addressed Kudelka during sentencing, describing the case as "particularly disturbing" and emphasizing the girl’s shattered state following the assault. It was also revealed that earlier in the year, she had attempted to take her own life and was hospitalized.

Given these factors, the judge deemed Kudelka a danger to the public and ordered he serve two-thirds of his prison sentence before eligible for parole, with an additional five years on licence after release. Kudelka was also subject to a restraining order preventing contact with the victim, a sexual offences prevention order, and his name was added to the sex offenders register.