Lithuanian brothers appear in court charged abduction and rape
Two Lithuanian brothers appeared in court in the North today charged with abducting and raping a woman.
The victim is alleged to have suffered a 28-hour ordeal at the hands of six men, all Lithuanian, Armagh Magistrates’ Court was told.
Saulius Petraitis, 22, of Nursery Mews, Armagh, and his brother Vitalijus, 20, of the same address, faced a total of 10 charges when they appeared in court between an interpreter.
The older brother faced two charges of rape as well as assault and false imprisonment, abduction for the purposes of carnal knowledge, a further attempted serious sexual offence and possession of a .22 rifle.
All the offences were alleged to have been committed over the weekend of August 12 and 13 except the arms charge.
The younger brother faced one charge of rape together with a charge of committing a serious sexual offence, assault and false imprisonment and possession of a firearm, a .22 air rifle.
A police witness told the court that when charged with the offences against the Lithuanian woman, neither man made any reply but he believed he could connect them with the charges.
Questioned by magistrate Desmond Perry he said it was a “complex case involving other persons currently at large”.
All those either in custody or being sought were Lithuanian, he said.
He said there were other suspects at large and it is understood two people are being held in custody by police in the Irish Republic.
The officer said: “The ordeal that the injured party suffered was carried out over a protracted period with these defendants and also four others.”
The men were remanded in custody to appear at the same court via videolink on September 12.
