A former US Air Force pilot, from California, is reportedly facing serious charges abroad for allegedly kidnapping, drugging, and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl who became separated from her family outside a luxury department store in London.
A court was informed this week that Robert Prussak, 57, reportedly committed the unsettling offenses after seeing the lost child outside Harrods last April, in a situation described as “every parent’s worst nightmare,” according to The Times of London.
A man from America was captured on surveillance footage approaching a girl, whose family was in the country from France, and claiming he would assist her in locating her parents.
According to UK prosecutors, the young girl was taken to his apartment, where she was reportedly given a sedative antihistamine and then sexually assaulted in a park.
The girl alleged that he also peered down her pants and kissed her on the cheek and lips, according to the report.
In the meantime, the girl’s parents and Harrods’ security were in a frantic search for the young girl, ultimately identifying footage of her being taken away by a man.
After the disturbing attack, Prussak reportedly instructed the victim to knock on a door and claim she was lost, but as he escaped, she returned to him.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police observed the duo near the Israeli Embassy and took Prussak into custody.
Prussak is charged with kidnapping, intent to commit a sexual offense, administering a substance with intent, and three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13.
He has rejected any allegations of misconduct.
Prussak, a California native, served in the Air Force for approximately 17 years before concluding his service at the end of 2014, as noted on a LinkedIn profile bearing the same name.