A father of three took the difficult step of reporting his own teenage son to the authorities after discovering that he had attempted to rape his younger sister. The sister was only eight years old when the initial incident occurred in 2020, and it was later revealed that the boy, now 17, had attacked her again in 2022.
The teenager appeared before the court on Monday and admitted guilt to charges of attempted rape and attempted penetration. To protect the identity of the victim, a gag order has been imposed preventing the accused’s name from being published.
At the time of the assaults, the siblings, along with their brother, parents, and paternal grandmother, resided together in the same apartment.
Background
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Adelle Tai, the teenager was playing a game in the victim’s bedroom in June 2020 while she watched videos on her mobile phone. It was during this time that he attempted to rape her. She was unsure of how to react and did not resist.
The perpetrator also took explicit photographs of her body, which he later deleted but shared with a friend two months after the incident. In addition, he later confessed to his friend his desire to engage in obscene acts with his younger sister.
Between February 5 and July 27, 2022, while the siblings were home alone with their older brother, the offender attacked his sister once more. He entered her room but was unsuccessful in his attempt to penetrate her.
At this point, their mother walked in and discovered them in a compromising position. She questioned the boy and, upon his explanation that he was merely assisting the victim with pain in her private area, believed his story and warned him against repeating such actions, unaware of the true nature of the incident.
The crimes came to light when the teenager’s friend finally informed the school teachers about the 2020 incident. Subsequently, the school principal arranged a meeting with the teen and his parents on July 27, 2022. In August, the father filed a police report.
During Monday’s court session, further assessments were requested to determine the offender’s suitability for probation and reformative training. If assigned to reformative training, the teenager would be detained in a center and subjected to a structured program involving activities like foot drills and counseling.
The case has been adjourned until June 19.