Four men convicted of child sexual exploitation in Glasgow

Published 14 February 2020

Four men have been convicted of offences related to child sexual exploitation after a teenager was abused in Glasgow.

The offences took place at various locations throughout Glasgow in 2015 and a four year investigation by the Greater Glasgow Child Abuse Unit resulted in a conviction today (Thursday, 13 February) at the High Court in Glasgow.

Aivars Hauberts (21), Ailands Aleksanders (22), and Ludvigs Rudevics (35) were found guilty of rape and Hardis Gindra (27) was found guilty of consensual sex with a child.

The 15-year-old girl met the men in March 2015 who exploited her with gifts and supplied drugs and alcohol. The girl was raped and sexually abused on different occasions by the different men and was driven around different areas of Glasgow such as Castlemilk and Kennishead to be further sexually exploited.

Following an extensive police investigation, Aleksanders and Gindra were arrested and charged in 2015. The investigation continued and a European Arrest Warrant was issued for Rudevics and Hauberts. The pair were traced and arrested in Latvia and extradited to Scotland in 2019.

Detective Inspector Christopher Nisbet, senior investigating officer for this case, said: "A huge amount of credit and praise must be given to the victim who bravely came forward and spoke to the police. We spent a lot of time with her to build this case and today's conviction could not have been achieved without her courage.

"People who are involved in the sexual exploitation of children prey on vulnerabilities and use a number of tactics to groom their victim. It's a despicable crime. I must also praise the work of social services at Renfrewshire Council who worked alongside us to help the victim move on with her life, which she has managed to do.

"We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual crimes or anyone who has any information about similar crimes in their area to contact Police Scotland on 101."

The men are due to be sentenced on Tuesday, 17 March, 2020.