Perdita
24-05-2010, 18:36
Two boys aged 10 and 11 were found guilty today of the attempted rape of an eight-year-old girl, but a jury at the Old Bailey found the pair not guilty on charges of rape.
The jury found the children guilty by a majority of 10 to two on two charges each, making them among the youngest defendants ever to be convicted of the crime of rape by a British court. As the verdicts were read out the younger boy sought eye-contact with his mother but both mothers stared straight ahead.
The girl claimed last October that the boys had dragged her to a block of flats and kept her in a bin shed as they repeatedly raped her near her home in Hayes, west London, but she later retracted the story during cross-examination, saying she had made it up to avoid getting into trouble.
The boys were released on conditional bail while reports are drawn up and will return to court at a later date for sentencing. None of those involved can be identified for legal reasons.
Related Links
* Mother tells of horror at ‘rape’ of daughter, 8
* Girl, eight, admits she was not raped by boys
* Boys aged 10 and 11 go on trial for rape
The judge, Mr Justice Saunders, thanked the jury for deliberating in what was a “traumatic” case. “These cases are not easy. Fortunately, they are infrequent,” he said.
He invited those present to send any “observations about the process” to him, adding that he will be sending his “views” to those in charge of the judicial system.
The victim’s mother reported the case to police last October after an incident in which her daughter disappeared while playing outside their home during half term.
As she searched for her, the woman was told by another child that two boys had taken her daughter away and were hurting her. The girl later told her mother they had been “doing sex with me”.
However under cross-examination the girl, who gave evidence via video link from an annexe to the court, said she had made up the story because she was afraid of getting into trouble for being “a bit naughty” after the children showed each other their genitals. She said she had thought she might not be bought sweets if she had told the truth.
She said that she had wanted to be with the boys in the bin shed because they were having fun and giggling and that she had acted of her own volition.
After the incident, the girl’s mother said she began to “panic”. She called the police and the girl was later taken to hospital with pains in the “groin area”. A doctor found cuts and bruising, but no sign of injuries to her genitals.
During cross-examination by Chetna Patel, the barrister for the younger boy, the girl’s mother denied that her child had a sweet tooth and wanted sweets, adding that she was normally “a very good girl”.
After the attack, the mother said her child was “very embarrassed and was squirming” and said she had not wanted to go with the boys. The girl’s mother challenged the two boys and said the younger had accused the older of starting the attack, while the older boy denied touching her.
During the case the child was taken on a virtual tour of her estate through a series of computer graphics. She identified the third floor stairwell, bin sheds and park where the prosecution said she was sexually attacked. She agreed that her bruising and scratches could have been caused when one of the boys helped her over a fence into the park.
She yawned occasionally and often replied that she could not remember the exact details of what had happened.
At the start of her evidence she was asked questions designed to put her at her ease. She smiled as she said that she did not like school, in part because she sat next to a “naughty boy”.
After she had finished her evidence the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, noted that she appeared exhausted and thanked her, adding: “No one is suggesting you have done anything wrong. I am the judge. I know when people have done something wrong. You have not done anything wrong. Remember that.”
[BJeez :( what happened to childhood ???[/B]
The jury found the children guilty by a majority of 10 to two on two charges each, making them among the youngest defendants ever to be convicted of the crime of rape by a British court. As the verdicts were read out the younger boy sought eye-contact with his mother but both mothers stared straight ahead.
The girl claimed last October that the boys had dragged her to a block of flats and kept her in a bin shed as they repeatedly raped her near her home in Hayes, west London, but she later retracted the story during cross-examination, saying she had made it up to avoid getting into trouble.
The boys were released on conditional bail while reports are drawn up and will return to court at a later date for sentencing. None of those involved can be identified for legal reasons.
Related Links
* Mother tells of horror at ‘rape’ of daughter, 8
* Girl, eight, admits she was not raped by boys
* Boys aged 10 and 11 go on trial for rape
The judge, Mr Justice Saunders, thanked the jury for deliberating in what was a “traumatic” case. “These cases are not easy. Fortunately, they are infrequent,” he said.
He invited those present to send any “observations about the process” to him, adding that he will be sending his “views” to those in charge of the judicial system.
The victim’s mother reported the case to police last October after an incident in which her daughter disappeared while playing outside their home during half term.
As she searched for her, the woman was told by another child that two boys had taken her daughter away and were hurting her. The girl later told her mother they had been “doing sex with me”.
However under cross-examination the girl, who gave evidence via video link from an annexe to the court, said she had made up the story because she was afraid of getting into trouble for being “a bit naughty” after the children showed each other their genitals. She said she had thought she might not be bought sweets if she had told the truth.
She said that she had wanted to be with the boys in the bin shed because they were having fun and giggling and that she had acted of her own volition.
After the incident, the girl’s mother said she began to “panic”. She called the police and the girl was later taken to hospital with pains in the “groin area”. A doctor found cuts and bruising, but no sign of injuries to her genitals.
During cross-examination by Chetna Patel, the barrister for the younger boy, the girl’s mother denied that her child had a sweet tooth and wanted sweets, adding that she was normally “a very good girl”.
After the attack, the mother said her child was “very embarrassed and was squirming” and said she had not wanted to go with the boys. The girl’s mother challenged the two boys and said the younger had accused the older of starting the attack, while the older boy denied touching her.
During the case the child was taken on a virtual tour of her estate through a series of computer graphics. She identified the third floor stairwell, bin sheds and park where the prosecution said she was sexually attacked. She agreed that her bruising and scratches could have been caused when one of the boys helped her over a fence into the park.
She yawned occasionally and often replied that she could not remember the exact details of what had happened.
At the start of her evidence she was asked questions designed to put her at her ease. She smiled as she said that she did not like school, in part because she sat next to a “naughty boy”.
After she had finished her evidence the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, noted that she appeared exhausted and thanked her, adding: “No one is suggesting you have done anything wrong. I am the judge. I know when people have done something wrong. You have not done anything wrong. Remember that.”
[BJeez :( what happened to childhood ???[/B]