Eight-year-old boy sexually abused younger siblings in ‘utterly deprived’ house, hears court

A court has heard how a boy raped and sexually abused his three younger siblings in a home where they were left to fend for themselves.

The four children had allegedly been neglected by their mother and were living a “feral” existence at their home in Gloucester.

The defendant, now 14, admitted six offences against his two brothers, now six and seven, and his sister, who is 10.

The offences took place when the boy was aged between 10 and 13, but the court heard he began to abuse his siblings at the age of eight, when he was below the age of criminal responsibility.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC told the boy: “It would appear that from about the age of eight you started sexually misbehaving with the three youngest members of your family.

“When you started you were eight, so that was not an offence in law because you were too young.

“But you continued over and above the age of ten and once you did that you started to commit criminal offences.”

The boy, who is now living with a foster family, confirmed he understood what he had done was wrong.

Judge Tabor said the children’s father “rarely visited” and the mother “did nothing” to raise them, adding the children lived in “utter deprivation”.

“The house was filthy and you often went hungry. There was little to no supervision by any grown-ups and no boundaries in place. No rules,” he said.

“I have no doubt that the lack of rules at home and the general neglect you suffered from are the principal reasons you behaved as you did. It was a very difficult childhood for you all.”

The boy received a restraining order preventing him from seeing his siblings without supervision and he was placed under 18 months' supervision with a 16-day programme requirement and 16-day activity requirement.

The judge placed the boy on the sex offender register for two and a half years, and said he would have given him a prison sentence had he been older.

The mother admitted similar charges of assaulting, ill treating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing the children to harm, dated between Sept 2008 and May 2016.

The boy’s father, 36, has denied similar charges and is awaiting trial arrangements.