Man charged with kidnap and sexual assault after girl, 9, goes missing on busy London street

Man, 56, charged after officers find suspect with young girl three hours after she went missing

The girl was reported missing on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge (Damien Hewetson/PA)

A man has been charged with kidnap and sexual assault after a nine-year-old girl went missing while with her family on a busy high street in London.

The Metropolitan Police were called shortly before 3pm on Monday to reports of a missing child on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, near the famous department store Harrods.

A young girl had become separated from her family, and a CCTV image of the child in the company of a man was rapidly circulated to officers, the force said on Tuesday.

The suspect and the child were stopped by officers three hours later. They were found two kilometres away at Old Court Place, near Kensington Palace, police said.

Scotland Yard has now announced that a 56-year-old man has been charged with kidnap, sexually assaulting a girl under 13 years old, and administering a substance with the intention of stupefying or overpowering to enable sexual activity.

Suspect Robert Prussak, of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

He was further remanded to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 22 May.

Prussac faces five charges in total, comprising two counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13, kidnap, administering a substance, and of committing an offence with the intent to commit a sexual offence.

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The child and her family are being supported by specialist officers, police said.

“At this time detectives believe this to be an isolated incident with no other persons involved,” the Met said on Tuesday.