Horace Battle

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A disturbing attack on two young girls walking ended with a convicted predator dragged back to prison for decades, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, Dec. 8.

Horace Battle, 47, was sentenced to 15 to 34 years in state prison after being convicted of rape of a child, kidnapping, and unlawful contact with a minor tied to a February 2025 abduction, prosecutors said.

The case began when the two 11-year-old sisters were walking down the street and Battle pulled up in a white SUV, insisting they get in after they declined his offer for a ride, the DA’s Office said. Instead of driving them to their uncle’s home as requested, Battle took them to his house on the 1600 block of West Lehigh Avenue, authorities said.

Once there, he told the girls they could come inside to use the bathroom. One stayed in the SUV while the other followed him into the home, prosecutors said.

After about 15 minutes, the sister who remained in the car panicked and ran down the street screaming for help until a neighbor took her in and called 911, investigators said. Philadelphia police canvassed the neighborhood and found a white Chevy Equinox registered to Battle, who was already listed as a sexually violent predator due to a 2013 rape of a child conviction, police said.

Detectives entered Battle’s home and found the victim crying and calling out for help while Battle stood nearby wearing only his underwear, authorities said. The girl was taken to Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, where she recounted the nine hours she spent in the home, prosecutors said.

Judge Woelpper later ordered an additional three to ten years for a probation violation, bringing Battle’s total sentence to 15 to 34 years in prison, plus three years of probation, the office said.

“This kind of crime so often goes underreported,” Assistant District Attorney Katrina Wadas said. She credited SVU detectives for their work locating the victim. ADA Allison Christian praised the victim’s sister for her “heroic determination” in seeking help.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said the office “has no tolerance for people who brutalize and abuse vulnerable victims” and encouraged anyone else who may have been harmed by Battle to come forward.