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Two teenagers who were found guilty of the violent rape and assault of a teenage girl are now serving youth detention sentences, but it’s been assured they will continue to be educated.
The sentences were handed down on 17 November in the Royal Court, published through unreported judgements.
The boys, known in court as D1 and D2, were convicted in September following a two-week trial for a series of offences committed in July 2022 while just 14 years old.
D1 was found guilty on two counts of rape, one of sexual assault, and one of assault, and has been sentenced to youth detention for two years and nine months.
Meanwhile, D2 was found guilty on one count each of rape, sexual assault, and assault, and received two years and three months youth detention.
Both were also made subject to an extended sentence licence of three years - which included a condition not to have unsupervised contact with females under the age of 16 - and a seven-year notification order.
“You have, together, violently raped a young girl and now you must face the consequences,” Judge Catherine Fooks told the defendants.
“What you both did to your victim was very wrong and very serious. That day you made her life change and she will never again be the person that she was.”
The court was satisfied that adequate education and training could be provided while the pair are in custody.
The age of the victim, the use of violence the use of alcohol, an “element of planning”, and strangulation in D2’s case, were noted as aggravating factors.
The young age of both defendants was a key mitigating factor which brought the final sentence down, however. This amounted to a 60% reduction on the sentencing starting point that would’ve been used if they were adults.
Sentencing credit was limited as both pleaded not guilty and compelled the victim to give evidence in court. Both continue to not accept guilt in the case.
It was recognised how both defendants faced adversity in childhood, but had supportive family members around them now.
The court did raise concern that “there has been social media comment” around the case, despite reporting restrictions being imposed which protect the identities of the defendants and, as it is a sexual offences case, grants lifelong anonymity to the victim.
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