• croatiantimes.com
• romaniantimes.at
• salzburgtimes.at
• viennatimes.at
• austrianindependent.com

Today

• Vienna - Johnny\'s Pub Quiz
• Vienna - Unknown Underground
• Vienna - Cats
• Vienna - Andy Warhol
• Vienna - Laser Tag

23. 08. 10. - 15:00

• more Around the World news
• RSS Feed Around the World

23. 08. 10. - 15:00

Gypsy UK child traffickers in court

The brutal leaders of a child trafficking gang accused of forcing nearly 200 gypsy children to beg on the streets of Britain will stand trial next month (sept).

Prosecutors announced today (monday) that 26 modern day Fagins will appear in court in Romania on September 27 to face child trafficking charges.

Court documents reveal that 181 children were sent to the UK by the gang, who travelled all over Romania to snatch children from the poorest families.

Disabled children are said to have been particularly sought after because they made more effective beggars.

The terrified youngsters were beaten and abused and put to work begging and stealing in British cities and some were even said to have been disfigured to increase their earning potential on the street.

The 26 defendants - from Tandarei in Ialomita county, southern Romania - are also charged with money laundering, firearms offences and membership of local mafia clans.

The gang was cracked in a series of arrests after a joint operation by British and local police.

Eighteen of the gang are already in custody awaiting the trial.

Prosecutors from Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) say the gangsters put the children through a terrifying academy of crime before transporting them illegally to the UK.

They say that they arranged the transport and bogus travel documents to get the children to Britain and then held them hostage in a series of safe houses run by the gangs.

Documents obtained by Central European News show that prosecutors say victims were made to beg, wash car windscreens or taught how to be pickpockets or shoplift.

Others were taught how to steal cash from shops and restaurants while others were given instructions in burglary while under constant supervision by a gang member, say the court documents.

Every penny they made was taken by the gang members.

The leaders of the group are identified in court documents as Constantin Radu, known as "Titi Aghiotantu", Nicolae Schian, nicknamed "Poligrad", Tase Dumitru, nicknamed "Chinezul The Chinese", Mircea Niculae. known as "Bocioc", and Gheorghe Ion Dragusin, also known as "Frant".

The trial will take place at Harghita Criminal Court after a massive investigation involving more than 300 police officers.

Dozens of firearms like AK47 assault rifles and grenade launchers were seized in raids on more than 30 properties and hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash, jewellery, cars and property were confiscated along with bogus child travel documents.

A police spokesman said: "The children were told their families would be at risk if they tried to flee, and families were told the children would be harmed if they made a complaint to authorities."

Police are believed to have acted after investigating the massive amounts of money flowing into the gypsy community at Tandarei where locals were building huge palaces but had no apparent income.

Norbert Ceipek, who is the head of the Augarten crisis centre in Vienna Austria that has worked with trafficked children since Romania joined the EU, said: "Even the good thieves and pickpockets end up in prostitution past the age of 14, because they cease to be useful as they can then be arrested by police.

"They usually work as prostitutes up to 18, when they get married and have children of their own. Those children face the same fate and the circle goes on.

"The children don't have any access to education and never get any real chance to fit into normal society. But most of the families, and even the children, do not feel they are being victimised.

"What is happening to them is the only thing they've known. The whole system of values is turned upside down: a child is appreciated and loved if it earns money by stealing, whereas sending it to school or integrating it into society is seen as a waste of time and money."

According to social workers who have rescued child victims in Austria, some Roma communities punish families which refuse to rent their child to traffickers.

Sanctions can range from ostracism and fines to violence or even murder. Other parents believe the traffickers' fiction that their children will enjoy a better way of life in the West, and will even send money home.

Romanian officials calculate that a typical pimp operating 15 girls can earn about 7,000 GBP a day and slightly less if they are running pickpockets and thieves.

It adds up to an annual income of 2.5 million GBP. Many pimps operate in networks of 50 youngsters, whose "group turnover" could total 130 million GBP.

Austrian Times

Ambühl at the ready for AUA affiliate
Gaudenz Ambühl has been named new head of Austrian Airlines (AUA) Group member Tyrolean Airways.

Rebel priest deplores Church's 'leadership crisis'
A Catholic preacher who established a group of "disobedient" priests reacted coolly to Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn’s warnings.

Hollande's growth appeal 'nonsense', says Fekter
Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister Maria Fekter has launched an attack on the new French president.

Best of the bookshelf in May
The Austrian Times has once again searched the book publishing market of German-speaking Europe to list some of the most interesting releases of the past weeks and months.

Salzburg tourism on the rise
The city of Salzburg is more popular than ever with tourists from all around the world new figures have shown.

Suicide Sculptures Get the Push
'Suicide' sculptures by British artist Anthony Gormley are to be removed from Alpine passes in Austria where they sparked fears of a rise in the rate of mountain rescue call outs.

SPÖ demands legalised street prostitution
Integration spokesperson Anja Hagenauer (SPÖ) has suggested that "performance boxes" should be constructed in Salzburg to allow clients to park in them and carry out their business with a prostitute.

Luxury shopping at the Kohlmarkt
The Kohlmarkt is the place to look for those luxury goods. The area is home to traditional Viennese jewellers like Wagner, Bucherer and Schullin, as well as resonant international luxury brands. Rare pieces can also be acquired at the Dorotheum auction house.

Agricultural frost damages amounting to 20 million Euro
Freezing night-time temperatures last week have caused substantial damage to farmlands throughout the country, with the largest impact in Lower Austria.

The Schönbrunn Palm House
The Palm House in the palace park at Schönbrunn in Vienna is the largest of its kind on the European continent.

Jobs in Austria