The three boys accused of taking it in turns to rape a girl have been found not guilty

[Lougle]

The three boys accused of taking it in turns to rape a girl have been found not guilty on all counts despite some of the incident being filmed. How could that be? That poor girl. I believe in justice, I wasn't in court. I just can't understand it though.

If only someone had come by and intervened...

I agree with that attitude but there’s also the seemingly inbuilt instinct to protect young men and not to want to affect their futures in any way. Sadly I see it some friends who are mums of boys. On high alert to protect their sons - denigrating girls. These are intelligent women I’m generally like minded with too.

The ongoing behaviour of the small group of boys at dds school was evidenced by numerous others statements (from boys too hearteningly). The schools were horrified lots of assemblies etc. But no actual consequences for the boys. They are top sports players funded by a high profile team who go to the school.

The girls they targeted were the ones they deemed less attractive. So girls just going about their business at school. They were too ashamed / scared to report it. Dd did report it. The boys scoffed “what’s your problem you’re top rated”. Dd was in tears relating how they treated her friends. Absolutely obscene.

Charge the older 2 boys with engaging in a sexual act with a 12-year-old (the youngest boy. They have admitted engaging in a sexual act, and they must have known their mate's age.

@likelysuspect maybe it's different in Scotland. I don't know anyone who has successfully managed to opt out. I know many who have tried due to work, but it's always been no.

I googled Rachel Shenton. Seems she’s made a successful career and probably a lot of money from defending monsters. Unconscionable.

Her pal was with her on the bus. And as far as I can figure out stayed with her.

IANAL, but yes juries don’t provide their reasons but judges do provide a summary of the legal arguments and can and do direct juries.

And I said either not guilty or non custodial sentence. The point being that the potential negative impact on the accused has been taken into consideration in determining both.

Me I was working away from home at the time, theyve never asked me back.

Sadly yes I can believe it. If it was daughter there would be street justice and likewise if my son was involved I’d do prison time for cutting off his dick.

A tiny percentage of victims get justice through the courts in a disturbing manner that the victims are on trial. Not sure if it is worth the process.

As virgins? Really? How many young virgin girls do you know of that agree to sex with 3 boys in a bush whilst being filmed? Please do enlighten us. Is it a more common occurrence than rape?

I believe her.

Apparently they did. Two strangers called her a slag.

A 12yo could hardly fight the boys off. The friend could have called the police though, but she was probably frozen in fear.

3 boys and the 2 girls got on the tram they all got off at the same stop.
When the incident happened.
The video is 10 secs.

I'm not convinced there was any sort of resistance. Why didn't the pal phone the police?

Very unusual for a gang rape to have a friend witness and not also be a victim.

If I was that girl's mother those three boys would never see another dawn, court or no court. This is a horrific story, that poor girl.

Well, there's the freeze response...fighting the 3 boys could also have been more dangerous and likely to cause injury.

I’m not sure of the point of the post. Are you saying this behaviour suggests it’s consensual?

because all it suggest to me is it took them
some time to realise she was raped

ITV has more detail- horrible...

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-03-12/teenager-accused-of-raping-girl-13-tells-jury-she-asked-him-for-sex

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-03-06/victim-of-alleged-rape-by-teenagers-tells-court-i-never-said-yeah

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-03-07/she-was-so-frightened-mum-gives-evidence-in-alleged-rape-trial-of-teen-boys

This defence lawyer sounds like a scumbag too : Peter Gilmour, representing the now 15-year-old said: "These are children. We must not judge children by the standards of adults.

"If there was a point she had second thoughts, she didn't give any indication. And she immediately regretted that and says to her friend she had been raped. She went into the bushes, she went willingly. Her answer was 'I never said yeah'. How was he supposed to know?"

That fact may well have swung the jury into thinking it was consentual, i.e. the friend didn't try to intervene to stop, so that kind of implies she thought it was consentual which may have given a completely different "picture" of the whole thing.

I wonder if there IS a small chance that the victim did agree to sex with one of the boys. What I strongly doubt is that agreed to have sex with all of them. It could potentially have started consensually and then became sexual assault.

"The prosecution say that they took it in turns and swapped positions," Ms Whittlestone said. She was asked if she wanted to have sex and replied 'no', the jury heard, which was heard by the friend she was with."

Surely ''NO" means precisely that, she didn't want sex but they took turns and filmed it anyway. Very odd.

There was a case with someone famous, a footballer I believe, he invited his mates who then had sex after he did. Awful for the female.

Thats a good point, was the friend a second victim

He was a scum bag. Lots of people still support him

I believe that if we looked back to the footballer “spit roast” stories of the earlier 2000s we would now view them as rape