Girl of 12 put under court order for sex attacks

A GIRL aged 12 who indecently assaulted young boys was put under supervision for 12 months yesterday.

The child, who cannot be named, became the youngest girl to sign the sex offender register when she pleaded guilty to five charges at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, four months ago.

She admitted three charges of indecent assault against three boys aged four, five and six in summer last year and two counts of inciting a girl under 14 to commit acts of gross indecency.

Sentencing yesterday, Judge Adrian Smith said: "Normally adults appear before the court but sometimes other children interfere with children as well. The difference in age between you and these children was a big difference. They would have looked at you and thought of you as a very big girl and that's important, because why the courts take a serious view is that this sort of behaviour is very, very confusing to young children."

The court was told the girl committed the assaults near her home in a suburb of Trafford. Ian Metcalf, for the prosecution, said the girl had played with a family near her home between 1 May and 31 August and through them met a group of younger children.

The prosecution alleged that she made them play "games", which included them urinating into a metal container. Mr Metcalf said she forced a seven- year-old girl to "snog" another girl. She also made the boys line up and urinate against a wall and then touched them.

Keith Goddard QC, for the defence, said the girl admitted touching the boys, but it was "simple touching" and she took part in "childish games" which she admitted taking "too far". He said: "This is the sort of conduct that has gone on since time immemorial; this sort of sexual experiment has gone on for ever and a day."

The girl was arrested in September after some of her victims told their parents.