12-year-old boy raped sister, 7, after watching internet porn

[AgaPanthers]

www.lep.co.uk/news/local/schoolboy-raped-sister-after-watching-porn-1-6474334

"He committed a number of sexual offences against his sister between March and May last year but the matters did not come to light until last autumn."

"Sentencing him, District Judge James Prowse said he thought it “highly improbable” that the boy would reoffend in this way as he followed the recommendations of a Youth Offending Team to impose a 12-month referral order.

Detaining him would “tear the family apart” and would expose him to “hardened and sophisticated” youth offenders, he added.

In a victim impact statement, the girl said she was “sad” at what her brother had done but she wanted him to come home because she loved him and missed playing games with him."

"It is understood the boy had viewed porn on an Xbox games console at a friend’s house."

"The content had led to “sexual conversation” between the group of friends, the court heard."

[henrysmam]

That boy needs to be taken away from the family home and that poor girl needs help to understand what he did was wrong. From what I've read the parents need to understand this too. Interesting comments about teaching boys not to show aggressive sexual behaviour towards others. True that girls are warned about predetory males but they aren't taught how to avoid being raped. Awful thing is if some sicko boy man or monster decides to rape someone the victim is often powerless. No matter how much they have been taught. Rapists and abusers should in my opinion be locked away forever.

[Hanginggardenofboobylon]

Re the sentencing aspect of this, with a child and his/her first offence the judge has no choice but to give either a referral order or detention order there is no in between. There is a stark choice of prison or a low level order. I hope his local youth offending team have the resources to help him properly. I used to sit on the referral panels which determine what help/punishment should be included in the order, often our hands were tied by a lack of resources.

[WeekendsAreHappyDays]

For those that suspect the parents of foul play they're behavior around they're children and around one another will be watched.Also they will check out past relationships,any ex partners(step parents)that had or have contact with the children.They'll also check if either of the parents have had a criminal record.

Id love to believe that - but speaking from personal experience it doesnt always happen.

[TheOneWithTheHair]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the peer pressure aspect of this.

The judge said the boy wasn't mature enough to realise that his friends were all talk. I think we also, as a society, need to make dcs aware that not everything their friends say is true.

Also that it's ok not to go along with the crowd. It takes a hell of a lot of confidence for a child (or adult) to go against their peers but it's a hugely valuable lesson for both sexes.

[Soditall]

For those that suspect the parents of foul play they're behavior around they're children and around one another will be watched.Also they will check out past relationships,any ex partners(step parents)that had or have contact with the children.They'll also check if either of the parents have had a criminal record.

Sadly this could happen in any home to the children of the most perfect parents.

There will have been cases similar to this where one or both of the parents have been Police Officers,Social Workers,Lawyers,Doctors,judges you name it.Cases like this don't only happen to parents that don't work or have a lower paying job!

And Porn being so easily accessible has a lot to answer for,there's a reason it's legal to have sex at 16 but not to watch porn till your 18.

The pornography that people can access now is far beyond what you would have seen 50 years ago.Lots of the acts shown in pornography now would have been illegal back then!

Everyone not just children are being desensitised now on every level every single day of they're life's,television,literature,computer games,access is so much easier now via fast start internet,ipads,phones even through game consoles.

You can turn on the tv and be watching a breakfast show(on before the children leave for school)and they'll mention something like 50 shades of Grey which is fine for an adult to read but not something you'd really want your child reading,yet they'll discuss in quite some detail on the television at 7 in the morning.
Children by nature are curious,it only takes one child to hear about it and then go to school and ask around and then for one child to find a copy at home and for them to bring it into school to read with they're friends.

Not as bad as seeing sexual acts but still not something a child should ever read!

[Soditall]

The parents aren't worse than useless!

I seriously hope nothing awful ever happens to a child in your care because someone banding that statement around would make you feel so much better wouldn't it.

This has happened when the children were playing together.No one can constantly watch they're children every second of every day and it's perfectly normal to think that your children can play together in a room with out constant adult supervision without someone being raped!

[AnnieLobeseder]

This certainly gives strength to the proposal that all porn should be opt-in rather than opt out. What's more, the opt-in should be per viewing, not as a general setting, so that children can't access it at home if a parent has opted-in. Of course there will always be ways around it, but it can't be a bad think to make all porn as difficult as possible to access.

[columngollum]

I suppose evidence is lacking, but an obvious question is: is only the boy the rapist?

[columngollum]

I know SS aren't always on the ball, but you'd have hoped they haven't missed this case. Clearly the parents are worse than useless and the boy is a rapist. I don't know what other info SS needs.

[WeekendsAreHappyDays]

I would like to see a prison sentence being given to anyone who allows a child to watch porn under their supervision, be it whilst they are at a friends house for a playdate (the parent to be charged), be at school (the head teacher to be charged), or on a phone (the adult who signed/bought the contract to be charged). Someone needs to be held accountable for this.I do think that we forget how impressionable young minds are, at 12 I think a young boy could be seriously affected by porn, he needs adults to protect him.

Thats just ridiculous, completely totally and utterly.

[VoyageDeVerity]

Sorry if this is triggering for some....



I have come accross some mainstream porn that actually looks like rape but the women have obviously been told to look as if they are enjoying it. That is really fucked up and sends awful, awful messages to young men.

Having said that it doesn't turn them into rapists, but it does screw things up about how they perceive women and sex.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Pagwatch

I totally agree, but imo children shouldn't be allowed devices like this anyway. We protect them from seeing films via ratings, smoking until adults, why is this so different?
You can make sure your child isn't the one showing porn at school or accessing it at home by supervision in the home and not buying the devices in the first place.
You can't protect against other children whose parents have bought them to keep up with the Jones's.
Maybe we should blame the parents.

[Blistory]

I agree that only rapists rape.

But rapists aren't recognisable monsters prowling dark alleys. An inordinate amount of 'normal' men rape. Why ? I don't know but maybe it's a sense of entitlement, maybe it's about power, maybe it's about opportunity, maybe it's due to inadequacy.

And it starts somewhere - and it worries me that a normal young boy brought up in a loving family turns around and rapes his younger sister. Why ? If his views of women are so warped, how did that happen ? If he thinks he was entitled to do so, where did he get those beliefs ? Did he learn even at a young age that most rapists get away with it ? Or did he simply not see it as rape but something that he was entitled to do because that message has been ingrained in him ?

The idea that rapists are a breed apart is simply not true. Young men rape sometimes simply because they have contempt for women whether from peer pressure or otherwise and young women are vulnerable, children even more so.

But rapists live normal lives - they are our fathers, uncles, sons, nephews, partners, friends - but something tells them it's okay to rape and I think that hardcore porn and the way in which women are portrayed goes a long way to explaining why they view women this way.

It doesn't excuse rape but it does normalise it.

[Pagwatch]

It might be useful for some of the people being aghast atthe idea of children being shown porn to put 'porn' into their search engine.

I saw magazines when I was fairly young - men only left at the bus stop and a bunch of kids giggling over it (that shows my age). But the images that appear within one or two clicks are light years away from anything I understood by porn as a teenager - even as a young woman.

Unless you have great filters on every device in your home and are confident that they never spend time with friends who don't, your child is xposed beyond about 10/11.
Awareness of that is important rather than looking to hold supervising adults responsible.
It's a bloody nightmare.

[girliefriend]

I am 35 and have never seen or have any desire to see 'hardcore' porn, the fact that children are watching it is very disturbing to me

I don't know what the answer is for this particular boy and his family, it is totally fucked up.

[hickorychicken]

Maybe i should have made myself clear. Rapists rape. Some watch porn, some may not. There must be something inside him to do this. Seeing porn is a lazy excuse. But thats just my opinion.

[Blistory]

The problem isn't as simple as saying that there isn't a link between porn and rape. And when there are women and children at risk, can we afford to dismiss a possible connection ?

Part of the problem is that we simply don't educate young boys sufficiently and put all of the onus on young girls and women to protect themselves. A 7 year old girl should never be put in that position. It isn't up to her to protect herself.

But it would be wrong to disregard just how damaging hardcore porn is and I think we're getting it wrong by making it secretive and pretending that we can prevent children from seeing it. We need to make it illegal. No-one needs hardcore porn, no -one.

It's becoming increasingly mainstream and acceptable and young boys are seeing horrific images of what women supposedly like, how sex supposedly is and cannot begin to understand the trade that goes on behind it. Young girls absorb the message that that is how they need to behave and it's wrong, so damn wrong.

[StealthPolarBear]

but this is a child. A child who has done an awful, unforgiveable thing. I think the focus needs to be on the girl but he should not be discarded.
And your argument was we cant blame internet porn as there was rape pre-internet.

[hickorychicken]

Im not saying it doesnt increase the risk i just think its a shitty excuse and used as a get out of jail free card.

[StealthPolarBear]

that's like saying some non-smokers get cancer therefore smoking does not increase the risk of cancer. Completely illogical

[StealthPolarBear]

"People will blame games/consoles/internet for such things but im pretty sure there was sexual abuse happening 50 years ago. "

Well yes of course. No one has said that internet porn is necessary for sexual abuse have they?

[Animation]

"I would like to see a prison sentence being given to anyone who allows a child to watch porn under their supervision"

I agree.

[Timetoask]

I would like to see a prison sentence being given to anyone who allows a child to watch porn under their supervision, be it whilst they are at a friends house for a playdate (the parent to be charged), be at school (the head teacher to be charged), or on a phone (the adult who signed/bought the contract to be charged). Someone needs to be held accountable for this.

I do think that we forget how impressionable young minds are, at 12 I think a young boy could be seriously affected by porn, he needs adults to protect him.

[Cocolepew]

I read that the boy and his dad were put on the sex offenders register, why would the dad be put on it?

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Thanks balckcoffee