Somerset's top stories direct to your inbox Join for free Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A report was released on Wednesday (November 2) outlining a shocking child exploitation case in Yeovil.

The Somerset Safeguarding Children Board report states that between 2010 and 2014, Ahmet Kurtyemez, 29, and Mehmet Citak, 34, who worked at Legendz barbers and piercing shop on Middle Street at the time “systematically abused” six children, aged 14 and 15 at the time.

Now, two victims have come forward to speak about the horror they experienced.

One woman, who can’t be identified, met Mehmet Citak when she was just 13 years old.

The BBC reports that six months into the relationship she found out he was actually 15 years older than her, and was married with children.

He waited most days outside of her school, and then would take her back to the barbers shop.

The victim told the BBC: “I was raped and beaten for five years, sometimes pinned down and pierced.

“He used to feed me drugs, I had to take cocaine, marijuana, speed, most of them, I think he fed me every single one, apart from heroin.

“I’d get hit, many times I would go back to my parents with black eyes, completely beaten up.

“I’d have to lie to my parents and say that I got into a fight.”

The BBC reports that during the course of a five year relationship, the victim fell pregnant four times.

She said: “I had three miscarriages when I was 15, they weren’t natural miscarriages, they were beaten out of me.

“I couldn’t leave, I had no choice, I was terrified of him.

“You know what he’ll do if he doesn’t get his own way, he put me in the boot of his car.

“I reported him more than ten times, the first time I was 14, the police took statements, but nothing was done, there was no further action all the time.”

The Somerset Safeguarding Children Board outlines 14 missed opportunities by the authorities to establish that the exploitation was happening.

Another victim, who was 14 when she met Mr Citak, said that the first day she was introduced to him, the pair had sex.

She said: “He gave me a free piercing, and it was expected that I would give him something in return.

“I was way too young and he was way too old.

“All of them let me down; police, social services, the hospital, everyone, they all let me down.

“At the hospital I was covered in bruises, blood everywhere, hand marks, none of it made any difference, they weren’t going to look into it.

“It makes me feel sick, my childhood disappeared, I didn’t have a childhood.”

You can read more about the report be clicking here.