Teenager convicted of raping 14-year-old girl

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

1 3 minutes read

Legend, The teenager was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday.

5 minutes ago

A teenager found guilty by a jury of raping a 14-year-old girl at a Co Down beauty spot was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday.

He was 16 years old at the time of the rape. He was therefore tried in his youth and cannot be named due to his age.

He will spend a further two years on license when he is released from the Hydebank Young Offenders Centre.

During sentencing on Thursday at Belfast Crown Court, it emerged that despite the jury's guilty verdict following a trial in April, the teenager continues to deny raping the girl.

Finding that the man's behavior towards his victim demonstrated a “sense of entitlement” and “sexual assault”, Judge Mark Reel described the incident as “a rape of a child by another child “.

Warning: Some readers may find certain aspects of this story distressing.

During the trial, the jury heard the 14-year-old victim was raped in a wooded area in Helen's Bay and suffered multiple cuts and abrasions to her legs.

On the afternoon of July 17, 2021, she and a group of friends took the train from Belfast to Helen's Bay.

She consumed alcohol that day and around 8:00 p.m. BST she started walking with other people from the beach to the train stop when she was approached by the man who before the incident, had sent him sexualized messages.

The teenager, who was at Helen's Bay with another group of friends, grabbed her from behind and guided her off the trail and into some woods.

The 14-year-old told him she didn't want to do anything sexual with him, but he pushed her into the bushes, slammed her to the ground on her stomach, then began raping her.

When she testified at trial, the teenager recalled the incident.

Describing the male as “three times my size”, she said she kept saying “no” and his legs were stung by nettles.

She said: “I couldn't fight him. I was saying 'no' but he told me to shut up. I was screaming at him to get off me. I kept saying 'no' and that I didn't want to That. “

The jury heard she told him “no” “at least seven times” and remained face down “the entire time”.

She said the incident lasted about ten minutes and left her with “multiple cuts” all over her legs.

The jury also heard that after the sexual assault ended, she was shocked, then got up and walked to the train stop.

She said that after getting on the train to Belfast, she noticed he was on the same train. She also said that after getting off the train at Lanyon Place station in Belfast, she told two of her friends what had just happened.

The girl said “what happened really hit me the next morning” and that he sent her a message on Snapchat telling her to take the morning after pill.

She said the message “disgusted” her and added: “I thought you just raped me. I didn't respond and haven't spoken to him since.”

“Dishonest account”

At sentencing Thursday, Judge Reel said the man's version of events at trial, where he claimed the sexual activity was both consensual and instigated by her, was a “disingenuous account “.

The judge revealed that when questioned about the rape, the man admitted to police that he had 12 previous sexual partners.

He said after reading a pre-sentence report drawn up on the man by the probation board, it was clear he continued to deny rape.

Judge Reel added that although probation found the man's likelihood of re-offending was low, “they note that they need to do a lot of work with him in terms of sexual and non-sexual relationships and personal development.”

Regarding the teenage victim, the judge said she had been “significantly harmed” by what happened to her in July 2021.

He continues: “Since the incident, she has described a multitude of negative impacts on her daily functioning caused by this rape.”

This, he said, included affecting his homework and sleeping habits, reliving the experience, feelings of anxiety and the “heavy toll the trial process took on him “.

The judge also spoke of her feeling vindicated that the jury had believed her and returned a guilty verdict, and expressed hope that “she can be successful in her future.”

Judge Reel then addressed the teenager as he stood in the dock and told him: “Your offense is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified and only a sentence immediate deprivation of liberty is appropriate. »

He imposed a sentence of three and a half years, divided into 18 months in custody followed by two years on licence.

The man, who was placed on the sex offenders register when he was found guilty by a jury in April, was also made the subject of a five-year sexual offenses prevention order.