A pair of "depraved" rapists who held their victim in a cellar and subjected her to a prolonged and degrading ordeal have been jailed.

Mum-of-three Samantha Hart and her boyfriend Charlie Olding persuaded the woman to meet them before carrying out the sexual attacks at a home in Chatham.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how the victim attended the property during the early hours of the morning in September last year after receiving a text message from 22-year-old Olding.

As she approached the home she was assaulted by 32-year-old Hart.

A third offender, Lee Kitchiner, 18, then helped force the victim into a cellar, where Olding was waiting.

The victim was threatened and subjected to a prolonged and violent assault.

She was raped and forced to stay in the cellar, while being watched by Hart, but eventually managed to escape later that day.

The three suspects were arrested shortly after and later charged and remanded in custody.

Under joint enterprise legislation, Hart and Olding were found guilty of rape, and causing someone to engage in sexual activity, following a four-week trial.

Prosecutor Daniel Stevenson told the jury how police received a call from the victim, who revealed she had been attacked and had been held in the cellar at Hart's home.

She had been forced to perform sex acts on Hart and Olding.

Mr Stevenson said: "She said that they assaulted her and made threats to kill her.

"She said that Kitchiner was watching, laughing and telling Hart to do what she was doing."

The court heard how earlier the victim had been directed to the back of Hart's home, where she was accused of performing a sex act with Olding.

Mr Stevenson told how the victim was made to swear she had not done it.

He added: "Hart assaulted her by pushing and smacking her and she was ordered down to the cellar, where Hart started getting into her face.

"Hart threatened to burn down the woman's home and told her she would kill her by getting a Rambo knife from Olding's bedroom and stabbing her."

Mr Stevenson said the woman was kept in the cellar until she was able to escape the following day and report the alleged attacks to police.

Following the trial, Hart, from Chatham, was found guilty of rape and causing the victim to engage in sexual activity.

Yesterday she was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Olding, also from Chatham, was found guilty of the same offences. He was sentenced to 10 years.

Both also admitted a third charge of assault causing actual bodily harm and will have to serve two-thirds of their sentences before they can apply for parole.

Kitchiner, from Strood, was found guilty of the sexual activity offence. He was given a suspended sentence, with 200 hours of unpaid work and made the subject of a 12-month tagged curfew and rehabilitation order.

Investigating officer DC Kathryn Lumsden-Earle said: "Hart and Olding acted together to subject the victim to the worst possible kind of abuse.

"Their offending was savage, depraved and completely remorseless.

"The victim showed exceptional courage to report this to us and give evidence in court.

"Her bravery has helped impose considerable custodial sentences on two exceptionally dangerous individuals and I sincerely hope that this result provides her with a degree of reassurance."

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