The girls knew Thomas, who had rented a flat in Reading. It was there that he was attacked and robbed. He blamed the girls for letting his attackers in by leaving a door open. Mr Latham said that when the gang found the girls in the car, one remarked: "Both of them at the same time. Just the two girls we've been looking for." Once in the hotel they were subjected to "violence and degradation" over a long period.