A 17-year-old Hungarian girl says a plain-clothes police officer promised to make her misdemeanour case disappear before taking her to a secluded street and asking whether he could kiss her. Her mother reported the incident to prosecutors the same day, and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee is providing legal representation in the criminal proceedings.
A police officer is facing allegations of abusing his position after allegedly using a 17-year-old girl’s misdemeanour case as a pretext to take her to an isolated location and make an unwanted romantic advance. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which represents the teenager, says criminal proceedings have been launched in connection with the case.
According to the human rights organisation, the incident took place on 1 September in a small town in Bács-Kiskun County, southern Hungary. The girl, referred to as Hajni in the organisation’s statement, had not previously met the officer and did not know his name or identification number.
‘I’ll make the case disappear’
According to Hajni’s account, a plain-clothes police officer arrived near her family home in a marked or official police vehicle and told her that she had been reported for a misdemeanour. She acknowledged the offence at the scene.
The officer then allegedly asked whether she wanted to keep the matter from her mother. He offered to take her somewhere secluded, where they could complete the paperwork and he could make the case disappear.
He reportedly told her they needed to go somewhere nobody could see them because he was putting his job at risk.
The teenager agreed to get into the vehicle. They eventually stopped on a quiet street, where the officer moved to the back seat beside her and asked her to sign several documents that appeared to be official. According to the account published by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, she was not given copies of the paperwork.
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Officer allegedly asked to kiss the teenager
After the documents had been signed, the officer allegedly asked Hajni whether she had a partner. When she said she did not, he asked whether he could kiss her.
The teenager refused. The officer then reportedly offered to take her somewhere else, but she declined that offer as well. After he left, Hajni called a friend, who came to collect her and took her home.
Her mother said the girl arrived home in tears and immediately told her what had happened. The mother filed a complaint with the Regional Investigation Prosecutor’s Office in Szeged that same day.
According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a security camera belonging to a neighbour recorded the officer’s initial encounter with the teenager outside her home. The girl was subsequently given a warning in the misdemeanour proceedings against her.
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Human rights group calls for thorough investigation
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is providing legal representation to Hajni in the criminal proceedings. The organisation says the officer’s alleged conduct raises suspicions of criminal offences and raises serious concerns about the misuse of police authority.
The organisation argues that a police officer must not exploit their official position to approach a minor personally or intimately while placing them in a vulnerable situation away from their parents and without independent oversight.
Featured image: illustration, depositphotos.com