A 22-year-old Hungarian man pleaded not guilty on Thursday at a preliminary hearing in the Court in Horsens. He is charged with grooming a 15-year-old girl from Hedensted and depriving her of her liberty.
The man appeared Thursday morning in a closed hearing, known as a grundlovsforhør, in Retten i Horsens, Avisen Danmark reports. Prosecutors asked the court to remand him in custody. He denied the charges against him.
According to the charge read in court, the man contacted the girl around January 26, 2026, and built a relationship with her over several months. The charge states that he later drove to Hedensted with an unidentified accomplice and took the girl to Hungary. He is also accused of using his superior position to manipulate her, with the intent of committing a sexual offense.
Politiken adds that the charges cover long-term deprivation of liberty from August 4 to 6, 2026. The same reporting states that the grooming allegedly took place via social media from late January to early August 2026.
The girl left her home in Hedensted on August 4, 2026, and Sydøstjyllands Politi issued a public search notice. Per the police, she was found in Hungary two days later through cooperation between Hungarian police, Europol and Danish authorities. The force announced on August 9 that she had returned to Denmark and been reunited with her family.
A hearing was held in Retten i Horsens on August 7, where the man was remanded in custody in absentia. The judge imposed a reporting ban at that hearing, so media, including Horsens Folkeblad, could not describe the case. That ban was lifted at Thursday’s hearing.
Arrest and extradition
Sydøstjyllands Politi stated that the man was arrested in Hungary following a European arrest warrant issued in Denmark. As reported by Politiken, a Hungarian court announced on August 11 that he had been remanded in custody pending extradition. The Hungarian court press release said he met the girl online in January 2026 and exploited her young age.
BT reports that he was arrested at Copenhagen Airport at 12:50 on Wednesday, August 19, after being handed over by Hungarian authorities. TV SYD also reported the extradition and the timing of his transfer to Denmark.
Danish and Hungarian authorities have both referred to an unidentified accomplice, but no second person has been charged in Denmark. As noted by Nordjyske and Ritzau, the suspect has told media that the girl was his girlfriend and travelled voluntarily. That account has not been tested in court.
