Teen who carried out sex attacks on 11-year-old at school when he was 15 avoids custody

The attacker, now 17, forced sex on the girl in the toilets at the school in the Shropshire area which they both attended in May 2021.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how he and the victim were both put in a "behaviour" room. He boasted about the size of his manhood to her, before joining her when she played truant under a flight of stairs the next day.

He found her and began sexually touching her. She asked him what he was doing, to which he said "nothing", before putting his hand down her trousers and carrying out a sex act. She pulled back, but he continued, making a lewd comment in the process.

To avoid members of staff, she ran off to the toilet. He followed her into a cubicle and told her: "Pull your trousers down or I will."

"She felt she had no choice and did as she was told," said Nigel Stelling, prosecuting. The attacker carried out a sex act and told her to "take it," despite her telling him he was hurting her.

He ordered her to carry out a sex act on him, which she did, before escaping from the cubicle to another set of toilets. But he followed her.

She found a friend of hers and a teacher came and they went their separate ways.

About a week later, the victim told her mum what had happened via WhatsApp messages.

When police went to arrest him, he denied the offences and did not answer questions.

The defendant, who could not be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child.

The court was told that he has had a "difficult upbringing, marked by bereavement". His mother and grandfather died. "His mental age is somewhere in the region of eight or nine years old," said Rob Edwards, mitigating.

Judge Barrie told the teenage perpetrator: "What happened to her was a terrible thing." However, he decided that probation service interventions would "better protect the public" than sending him to prison.

At this point, one of the victim's loved ones stormed out of the courtroom, not waiting to hear the rest of the sentence.

Judge Barrie made the perpetrator subject of a 12-month youth rehabilitation order. He must also do rehabilitation activity days and 40 hours of unpaid work. Judge Barrie also made him subject of a 15-year restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim, and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for two-and-a-half years.