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Pleas over boy rapist 'ignored' | Pleas over boy rapist 'ignored' |
(10 minutes later) | |
A judge has criticised a social services department for failing to take an 11-year-old boy into care weeks before he raped a disabled youngster. | A judge has criticised a social services department for failing to take an 11-year-old boy into care weeks before he raped a disabled youngster. |
Judge Beatrice Bolton said the attack on 8 June would not have happened if Sunderland City council had not "ignored" a psychiatrist's advice. | Judge Beatrice Bolton said the attack on 8 June would not have happened if Sunderland City council had not "ignored" a psychiatrist's advice. |
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Dr Stephen Westgarth had twice recommended that the offender be placed into care. | Newcastle Crown Court heard that Dr Stephen Westgarth had twice recommended that the offender be placed into care. |
The boy was sent to a secure detention centre for four-and-a-half years. | The boy was sent to a secure detention centre for four-and-a-half years. |
If something had happened and if you had moved away from home you would not have done this to the boy Judge Beatrice Bolton | If something had happened and if you had moved away from home you would not have done this to the boy Judge Beatrice Bolton |
The court heard that the offender, from the Sunderland area, raped the nine-year-old boy after bribing him with Pokemon games. | The court heard that the offender, from the Sunderland area, raped the nine-year-old boy after bribing him with Pokemon games. |
He attacked him after luring him to his bedroom on the pretence of playing on his Xbox games console. | He attacked him after luring him to his bedroom on the pretence of playing on his Xbox games console. |
Judge Bolton, sentencing the boy, said: "It is a great pity that Dr Westgarth wrote to social services on March 23 recommending that you should be placed in care and that his letter appears to have been ignored. | Judge Bolton, sentencing the boy, said: "It is a great pity that Dr Westgarth wrote to social services on March 23 recommending that you should be placed in care and that his letter appears to have been ignored. |
'Serious review' | |
"He wrote again on May 26 and he received no reply and nothing happened. | "He wrote again on May 26 and he received no reply and nothing happened. |
"If something had happened and if you had moved away from home you would not have done this to the boy." | "If something had happened and if you had moved away from home you would not have done this to the boy." |
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to spend another three-and-a-half years on licence once he is released. | The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to spend another three-and-a-half years on licence once he is released. |
Jan Van Wagtendonk, independent chair of Sunderland Local Safeguarding Children Board, said after the hearing: "The board is undertaking a serious case review in respect of a young person in order to learn lessons from this case. | |
"The review is an independently chaired process with an independent overview author and partner agencies are not in a position to comment further until the executive summary report is published." |
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