A 15-year-old girl invited to a party allegedly sold her seven-year-old stepsister for sex with a group of men in a US flats complex.
Her 7-year-old sister was reportedly raped by as many as seven men and her stepsister was then allegedly paid by those involved, police in Trenton, New Jersey, said last night.
Their parents had thought the pair had run away.
“We’re talking about a kid who told her sister to go into an apartment and let people rape her,” said Captain Joseph Juniak. “It’s unfathomable.”
The teenager is in custody, charged with aggravated sexual assault, promoting prostitution and other crimes. The county prosecutor plans to ask the court to try her as an adult.
Trenton mayor Doug Palmer said the crimes were among the worst he had seen in 20 years.
The seven-year-old had wanted to tag along because she was worried about the 15-year-old’s safety, Mr Palmer said.
When the girls did not return home by 4.30pm on Sunday, their parents called police, believing the older one had run away from home and taken her younger sister with her.
In fact, they were down the street inside a 13th-floor apartment at Rowan Towers.
Inside apartment 13-C, police said, the seven-year-old was left alone as her sister headed to a back bedroom to allegedly sell sex to several men. When she came out into the living room, she handed her sister money and encouraged her to let the men touch her.
“It went from touching to straight out assault and rape,” Capt Juniak said.
“They threatened to kill her if she screamed or told anyone.”
Afterwards, the child put on her clothes and left. Her sister stayed behind with the men.
Two women found the child crying outside the apartment and walked her home, where police were waiting.
The child told them what happened and was treated at a hospital. When police located the 15-year-old later that night, she also told them what happened and was arrested.
Lauren Kidd, a spokeswoman for New Jersey’s Children and Families department, said state and government confidentiality laws banned the agency from commenting on possible previous involvement with the family. But Capt Juniak indicated that the department may have had previous contact with the older girl.
Police are now examining CCTV surveillance from lobby and lift cameras to try to identify everyone at the party.
They believe there were about a dozen people in the apartment, mostly teenage boys and men.
AP