Boy, 17, admits raping 10-year-old girl as she walked home from school
Written by News on 22/07/2019
A teenager has admitted raping a 10-year-old girl as she walked home from school.
The boy, who is 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to attacking the child, on the first day of a retrial at Bristol Crown Court.
He had previously admitted choking and sexually assaulting her in Exmouth, Devon, on 4 October last year.
In March, a jury acquitted him of attempted murder, but failed to reach verdicts on the charges of rape and choking with intent to commit rape.
During the trial, the court heard he grabbed the girl – who he did not know – and restrained her around the neck as he walked her to a nearby riverbank, where he raped her after she fell unconscious.
He insisted he checked she was breathing and had a pulse – and ensured she had woken up before he left.
When asked why he attacked her, he said he had “extraordinary emotions” going through his head.
He said: “I was angry, I was scared, I was depressed, I was sad, amongst other things including loneliness.
“I just wanted someone else – just anybody – to feel at least some of the way I was feeling.”
Devon and Cornwall Police issued a reminder to the public that the victim has anonymity for life and should not be named, and added that neither should the suspect – who remains under 18 years of age.
A force spokesman said: “These rules are not solely for media organisations to adhere to, they also apply to every one of us, and includes all information posted via social media.”
The boy has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 11 November.
(c) Sky News 2019: Boy, 17, admits raping 10-year-old girl as she walked home from school
