UK police charge boy, 15, with 22 sexual offences against 10 girls
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape, which some readers may find distressing.
A British teenager has been charged with sexual offences against as many as 10 girls.
Northamptonshire Police confirmed today (28 May) that a 15-year-old boy has received 22 charges of sexual offences relating to alleged incidents that occurred over a three-year period, between 2022 and 2025.
The suspect cannot be named because of his age.
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He has been charged with 12 counts of sexually assaulting a female, three of assaulting a girl under the age of 13, and one of raping a girl under 13.
Further, the boy has received one count of assaulting a 13-year-old female by penetration using a body part or an item, and one count of raping a girl aged between 13 and 15.
He also stands accused of two counts of creating an indecent image, or pseudo-photograph of a child, and of possessing a prohibited image of a child.
Lastly, the teenager faces a single charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image or images.
According to police, he's set to appear at Wellingborough Youth Court on 23 June.
The disturbing case comes just days after three teenage boys were spared jail time, despite being convicted of 11 counts of rape between them.
Southampton Crown Court earlier this month heard that the group, two 15-year-olds and another, 14, had attacked two girls in separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire - the first attack on 26 November 2024, and the second on 17 January 2025.
Judge Nicholas Rowland told the trio in court: "I have to remember that you are not small adults. I have to think about how likely you are to do serious things again, and I need to make sure you do not do serious things again in the future.
"I should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily and understand the effects of their behaviour and support their reintegration into society."
The three boys who were 14 and 13 when the rapes occurred were each handed a three-month curfew, a 10-year retraining order against their victims, and a youth rehabilitation order (YRO).
The elder pair were also told they'd receive supervision and surveillance (ISS). Further, one of the 15-year-olds was given a three-year YRO, with 180 days of ISS, for the rape of each of the two girls, as well as two charges of indecent images.
The other received the same sentence for three charges of rape against each of the two victims, as well as four counts of taking indecent images in relation to the filming of the incidents.
The youngest of the three received an 18-month YRO for two charges of rape in the January incident, having encouraged the second defendant, and an offence of indecent images.
Following backlash over their 'lenient' non-custodial sentences, the Court of Appeal has agreed to review the case.
Announcing the review, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer explained: "There are questions about the sentence. The attorney general has the power to refer a case to a court of appeal if the attorney general thinks that the sentence is too lenient.
"The attorney general has now exercised that power. So I can announce that the case will now go to a court of appeal … and that is clearly the right outcome."
Rhianna Benson