by Keith Hunt

Three men who brutally gang-raped a woman at a party have each been jailed for nine years.

A judge said Lithuanians Giedrius Verenkevicius, 26, Marius Sciukas, 24, and 28-year-old Tomas Mikolaitis treated their victim "with utter contempt".

The perverts, all living in Gravesend, saw her as easy prey, he said, and put her through the terrifying ordeal lasting two hours or more.

Mikolaitis, Verenkevicius, both of Russell Road, and Sciukas, of Vigilant Way, all denied rape, claiming the woman consented, but were convicted.

Maidstone Crown Court heard medical evidence that the woman had bruising and grip marks on her body, showing she had been forcefully and painfully restrained.

The attack happened during the party in May in Vigilant Way, where Sciukas was living with others.

The woman, who is in her 20s, had consensual sex there with Sciukas the evening before.

Prosecutor Sarah Ellis said at the party the woman refused a request by Sciukas to go upstairs with him.

"He became very angry," said the prosecutor. "He went to the kitchen and returned saying he hated her.

"He armed himself with a knife and threatened to stab her. He pushed her and she fell to the floor. She ended up lying on the floor with him on top of her.

"He continued to threaten her with the knife, telling her he would cut her. He held it to her throat at one point."

He later forced her to go to his bedroom and stripped her. Verenkevicius and Mikolaitis joined him and held her down while naked Sciukas raped her.

While he was having sex with her, the other two forced the sobbing woman to perform sex acts on them.

Miss Ellis said Sciukas eventually left the room to have a shower.

"But it did not stop there," she continued.

Mikolaitis raped her while Verenkevicius made her commit sex acts on him. At one point, all three men were naked.

She eventually managed to escape.

Passing sentence, Judge David Griffith-Jones said: "You were all intent on sexual gratification, oblivious to her feelings."

The three will be deported after serving the sentence.