American pilot who 'kidnapped girl, 9, at Harrods' claims he 'wanted to keep her safe'

A tribunal has heard however an American aviator allegedly lured a mislaid young kid helium recovered extracurricular the section store Harrods to a level earlier taking her to a parkland wherever helium sexually abused her

A antheral accused of kidnapping, drugging and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old miss said his volition was to support her "safe" and "get her backmost with her parents", a tribunal has heard.

American aviator Robert Prussak approached the miss successful London aft she became separated from her household during a travel from France connected April 22 this year, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

She was lasting extracurricular section store Harrods, successful Knightsbridge, and it is alleged that Prussak walked the miss to his flat, gave her bitter-tasting water, and that she felt bushed aft drinking it.

The 57-year-old, of nary fixed address, past allegedly took her to a adjacent parkland wherever helium sexually assaulted her.

On Friday, Prussak told the tribunal helium was walking past Harrods erstwhile helium saw the girl, and thought she mightiness request assistance arsenic she appeared to beryllium "looking around, searching". He told the jury: "My caput went consecutive to my ain daughters who are conscionable a fewer years older than her and I thought if my daughters were mislaid successful a large city, I wouldn't privation them stuck retired alone. I was reluctant to get involved."

Prussak spoke to the miss and she answered successful different connection truthful helium started communicating with her utilizing the Google Translate app, helium said. He said helium asked if her household was going buying "to spot if we could unreserved successful determination (Harrods), her reply was no, and past I said, 'well then, wherever were you going?' She wrote down thing successful translation, muse".

Prussak said helium came to recognize that meant "museum", but added she did not cognize which one. Asked wherefore helium did not enactment with the miss extracurricular Harrods, helium said: "In honesty, knowing everything I cognize now, that they were wrong Harrods, staying determination oregon going wrong would've been the champion solution."

Prussak said helium started walking with the miss towards a depository to "hopefully intercept the parents" and searched connected his telephone for constabulary stations and "surprisingly they were reasonably far". He said his volition was "to get her backmost with her parents". The accused said his extremity was "keeping connected way to a depository and keeping her harmless and comfortable".

Asked wherefore they did not spell to the museum, helium said it started to rainfall much heavy and they had not seen the girl's parents. He said his flat was "very adjacent by" and helium knew "how to get determination quickly".

He said helium "absolutely regrets" not calling the constabulary sooner. And helium did not telephone arsenic helium did not cognize "what effect I would get" and was acrophobic "they'd nonstop the cavalry and ambulance and everything".

Prussak decided to instrumentality the miss backmost to his flat and said helium searched for exigency services online, past offered her h2o and she drank 2 glasses, 1 from the room pat and 1 from a bottle.

He said done the translation, the miss utilized the connection "bite", and a fewer discussions aboriginal helium "figured" she meant "bitter", past tested his ain h2o from the aforesaid vessel and said it tasted "normal".

Catherine Donnelly, defending, enactment to him the allegation that helium enactment Benadryl successful the water, and asked him if helium did that, helium responded "no".

She asked: "The allegation is you did that to enactment her to slumber oregon stupefy her oregon thing of that nature, did you bash that?"

Prussak responded: "No."

He was asked if helium was alert however agelong they had been astatine his apartment. He said aft helium near helium thought it was "about an hour", but aboriginal recovered retired it was 2 hours, which "surprised" him.

Prussak told the assemblage helium near the level with the miss with the volition of uncovering a occurrence presumption and missed a crook truthful his app directed him done a park. He said helium asked 2 radical successful the parkland if they had seen immoderate constabulary and astatine 1 constituent sat connected a seat arsenic helium "wasn't definite we were connected a bully way to wherever we needed to go".

The miss was looking "a small bushed and frazzled" and helium said helium kept an oculus connected her to marque definite she was adjacent arsenic helium got up to leave, motioned to her "let's go", past said to her "I'm atrocious it's taking truthful long, we're astir there" and "gently grabbed the near broadside of her face".

Put to him by Ms Donnelly that the allegation is helium took her to a wooded area, oregon a much backstage area, and touched her connected her tummy nether her clothing, Prussak said "I ne'er touched her successful immoderate mode different than what I've described", adding "there are nary hidden backstage areas, determination were radical everywhere".

Ms Donnelly said different allegation is helium pulled the beforehand of her jeans to look wrong and the 3rd is helium kissed her connected some cheeks and connected the lips and helium replied to some allegations, "I did not bash that".

Nneka Akudolu KC, prosecuting, asked Prussak if helium is sexually attracted to children, and helium replied "no". Ms Akudolu enactment to him that helium took the miss from Harrods to sexually battle her, and helium replied "that's not the case".

The tribunal antecedently heard the miss was taken to hospital, wherever she was reunited with her family, and a urine illustration was collected from her. The illustration contained diphenhydramine, the progressive constituent successful Benadryl, an antihistamine which typically causes drowsiness, the tribunal heard.

Ms Akudolu, speechmaking retired agreed facts connected Friday, said glasses that contained a wide liquid were seized from the room and the liquid was tested for Benadryl, and the results were each negative.

Prussak denies 3 counts of intersexual battle of a kid nether the property of 13. He besides denies 1 number of kidnapping, 1 number of committing an offence of kidnapping with an intent to perpetrate a intersexual offence, and 1 number of administering a substance with intent.

The proceedings continues.