A Romanian couple from Kenton who raped and forced a teenager into prostitution after luring her to the UK with the offer of a babysitting job have been jailed.

Harrow Crown Court heard Andreea Ciubotariu, 26, of Magnolia Court, The Mall, approached the 18-year-old woman in her home village in Romania, and asked her to work for her as a babysitter in London in the summer of 2013.

However when the victim arrived that December she was met by Ciubotariu’s 31-year-old husband Marius who drove her to a hotel in an unknown location and raped her.

The next day he took her to the couple’s home where he repeatedly raped her for several days - on one occasion in his car.

He told her she would have to work as a prostitute and although she was allowed to keep her phone he threatened her that he was working with the police and that no one would help her if she reported her situation.

In January last year, Marius took the victim to a brothel in an unknown location where she was forced to have sex with men before collecting her the next day and taking her to another bordello in Burnt Oak.

She was forced to have sex with a string of men there too.

Police were eventually called after the victim made contact with her uncle via Facebook, on her phone who passed her details onto his friend

The friend met her and gave her sheltered at his house for more than a week before he arranged for her to speak to meet a woman from a local church who could speak Romanian.

The victim told the woman what had happened to her and she persuaded her to contact the police.

The couple were arrested by officers from the Met’s Trafficking and Kidnap Unit and subsequently charged.

Marius Ciubotariu was convicted of rape, human trafficking and controlling prostitution, and his wife was found guilty of aiding and abetting rape.

Last week, Marius was jailed for 15 year and Andreea for nine.

Detective Constable Richard Hart, investigating officer, said: “The Ciubotarius’ lured the victim to the UK with promises of a babysitting job, but they had plotted all along to use and abuse her.

“This innocent young woman who was looking for a job opportunity has had her life ruined but I hope that she will find some small comfort in knowing that her abusers are now behind bars.”