A PILOT has been cleared of drugging and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl allegedly kidnapped from outside Harrods.
Robert Prussak was accused of approaching the schoolgirl after she became separated from her family while they visited London.
Robert Prussak has been cleared of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a young girl[/caption]
He was accused of snatching her from outside Harrods[/caption]
The 57-year-old broke down today as he was found not guilty of three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.
Prussak was also cleared of kidnapping committing an offence of kidnapping with an intent to commit a sexual offence, and one count of administering a substance with intent.
Nneka Akudolu KC, prosecuting, said the girl had been visiting London from France when the April 2023 horror took place.
The family were “so mesmerised” by the size of the building that they “momentarily” did not pay attention to the children, the jury heard.
The former US Air Force captain allegedly asked the girl if she needed help before “every parent’s worst nightmare” unfolded.
He was accused of luring her back to his flat a few minutes’ away where he gave her a “bitter” drink.
Prussak then took her to Hyde Park where he sexually assaulted her, Isleworth Crown Court was told.
The alleged ordeal only ended when a police officer spotted the pair walking through the capital and recognised them from an alert.
But Prussak claimed he was “only trying to help” the girl and just wanted to keep her “safe”.
The dad-of-two told jurors he decided to come to the girl’s aid as he would want someone to do the same with his daughters.
He added: “I thought if my daughters were lost in a big city, I wouldn’t want them stuck there alone.”
Prussak said he took the girl to his hotel apartment to “get his bearings” and “search for nearby police stations”.
While there, he gave her a drink of water and let her watch TV, he added.
Jurors heard the girl had diphenhydramine – the active ingredient in Benadryl – in her system, which causes drowsiness.
Prussak, who has an undergraduate and a master’s degree in mathematics, joined the US Air Force as a mathematician.
He became a pilot in the Air Force and now works as a “pilot for hire”, the court heard.
Prussak had denied the charges against him[/caption]
