Boy, 12, admits raping a five-year-old girl in his bedroom

Court hears how the boy has learning difficulties and a mental age of seven or eight

Research suggests people find reporting abuse more difficult than relaying the death of a loved one (REX Features)

A 12-year-old boy has admitted raping a five-year-old girl the day before his trial was due to start.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted attacking the girl in his bedroom in August last year at Fareham Youth Court in Portsmouth.

The court heard how the boy has learning difficulties and the mental age of a child of around seven or eight.

He and the girl, who also cannot be named, had been friends before the incident.

The victim’s mother read out a statement in court: “When we first found out about what happened we were both devastated and it felt like someone had torn our hearts out.

“I feel like I have let my daughter down.”

The court also heard how the victim had contemplated taking her own life since the rape and both of her parents suffered from depression.

Defence lawyer, Natalie Dennington, said the defendant had become increasingly anxious as the trial date approached and this was why he changed his plea to guilty.

The boy was handed a 12-month referral order at Fareham Youth Court in Portsmouth (Google Street View)

She had explained to him that if the case went to trial it would be in the newspapers and he could be forced to move home if people found out what he had done.

She said: "He felt it would have such a devastating effect on his family if he admitted to what he had done.

"We had lots of tears but he accepted responsibility for his actions.

"He should be given credit for someone so young accepting full responsibility."

District Judge Anne Arnold gave the boy a 12-month referral order to work with a Youth Offending Team rather than going to prison because of his age and the circumstances of the case, the Sun reported.

He will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register.