Boy cleared of rape, but admits indecent assault

Wednesday 17 January 2018

Guernsey's Royal Court has found a teenager not guilty of rape - but he has admitted a charge of indecent assault.

The boy was charged with one count of rape and one of indecent assault. He denied the rape charge before admitting the latter during a three day long trial.

The boy who was under the age of the 16 at the time of the incident in August 2016, had originally denied all of the allegations during interviews with Guernsey Police, following his arrest that summer. At the time, the victim was a few years older than him. 

The indecent assault happened late at night, at a residential address in the island. The victim reported the assault to police shortly after it happened. Both the defendant and the victim told investigating officers they had consumed the class B drug Cannabis. She had also been drinking alcohol.

The boy was cleared of rape, but found guilty of indecent assault after he answered detailed questions about what happened that night. One line of questioning focused on whether he had touched the victim beneath her clothes, which he denied. The boy did admit to touching her intimately above her clothing, however.

The teenager, who can't be named for legal reasons, was found not guilty of rape by a margin of eight to one. Guernsey's Jurats said they were not convinced he had penetrated the woman.

The boy has been released on bail, with a sexual offenders notification order given to Guernsey Police. He will be sentenced by the island's Royal Court on Wednesday 28 February.