Boy of 12 held over gang rape

A boy of 12 was arrested yesterday in connection with the "savage" gang rape of a woman after she was thrown into a canal then stripped as she climbed out. Scotland Yard said two other boys, one 14 and one 15, were also being questioned.

A boy of 12 was arrested yesterday in connection with the "savage" gang rape of a woman after she was thrown into a canal then stripped as she climbed out. Scotland Yard said two other boys, one 14 and one 15, were also being questioned.

The victim, 37, was raped by three males and subjected to a serious sexual assault by a fourth as their female companions looked on. She was left to walk home naked after the assault on the towpath of the Grand Union canal in the Ladbroke Grove area of west London in the early hours of 22 July.

On Monday, police arrested three teenagers - a 15-year-old boy and girl, and a 16-year-old boy - who were interviewed at separate police stations before being released on police bail for four weeks. And yesterday they made the three further arrests.

The attack took place when the woman, returning from a night out, stopped to talk to a group of people who then turned on her.