A SCHOOLBOY who tried to rape a nine-year-old boy has been put on probation for three years.
At Craigavon Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch QC warned the 14-year-old that if he failed to comply or breached any of aspect of either his probation or a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, he could end up in custody.
Highlighting that when it comes to particularly young offenders, the “courts should always look at rehabilitation where possible,” the judge told the schoolboy his actions have had a “dreadful effect” on both his victim and the boy’s father.
Last month the 14-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty to a single charge of attempting to rape a child under 13 on a date unknown between May 31 and December 31 2016.
The court heard that after playing games on an Xbox, the defendant, who was just 12 at the time, called the younger boy into the bathroom where he “grabbed him by the neck and pushed him into a closet.”
Rehearsing the prosecution case during his sentencing remarks, Judge Lynch revealed that inside the closet, the defendant “tried to pull down” his victim’s trousers, touched his private parts, tried to “take a photograph” of the boy’s genitalia and tried to rape him.
The attack ended, said the judge, when the defendant's mother came upstairs and the incident “eventually” came to light when the boy told his parents what had happened.
Arrested and interviewed, the defendant refused to answer police questions.
The victim, said the judge, is now “afraid to go out” and cannot attend his first choice of school because his attacker already goes there.
As well as the probation order, Judge Lynch also imposed a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order which amongst the conditions, prohibits the teenager from having a mobile phone or internet capable device without approval, joining a club or taking up any hobby without approval and from contacting his victim.
