The boy, who is in foster care, was given an absolute discharge after a district judge sitting at Fareham Youth Court in Hampshire ruled that he did not understand the implications of his acts.
Despite pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to offences including sexual assault, racially aggravated assault, theft, common assault and criminal damage, the district judge decided to allow him to change his plea after seeing psychiatric reports revealing he has an IQ of 58.
The judge ruled that because he was not able to participate in court proceedings he could not be found guilty.
Making a finding of fact, he found the boy had committed the acts, but allowed not guilty pleas to be entered for all the charges under common law powers.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
