A 17-year-old boy raped a teenage girl before threatening her with a knife.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, June 12, to be sentenced after he raped a girl under the age of 16. The court heard an investigation started in November 2022 after the 17-year-old offender from Wirral lured the young victim into his home, where he raped her and threatened her with a knife.
He was later charged with rape of female under 16 years of age and threatening behaviour in a private place with a knife. He was sentenced to five years in a Young Offenders Institute and given an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
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The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Barry Woodbridge said: “This was a particularly horrendous attack as the teenage offender lured the vulnerable child into his home address. The young victim was extremely brave to come forward and assist the police.
"I would like to praise the courage and dignity she has shown throughout the investigation. This sentencing shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated, and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.”
Merseyside Police works with other UK forces, agencies and the Child Exploitation Online Protection centre as well as law enforcement agencies across the world who share our determination to protect children from dangerous offenders online.
Specially Trained Officer Jessica Graham, added: “We have specialist officers who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police.
“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”
If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:
NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk.
Childline – call 0800 1111
If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.
You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/
There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.
In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
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