A boy aged 13 who had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old mentally handicapped girl during a game of hide-and-seek has been remanded for sentence to November 15th. The boy's father told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court his son had to miss nearly a year of school because of taunts from teachers and pupils.
The boy, now aged 15, pleaded guilty to unlawful carnal knowledge of his victim in a Dublin suburb on February 12th, 1999. He told gardai it was not the first time he had sexual intercourse.
Judge Elizabeth Dunne said she did not wish to send the boy to prison but neither did she want to wash her hands of the case. Judge Dunne said it was "very distressing" that it took up to eight months to get probation reports prepared for the court. Concerned that the girl involved was mildly mentally handicapped, she wanted to assess the case next November.
Det Garda Robert Cooper told prosecuting counsel Ms Orla Crowe that the pair, along with others, were involved in a game of hide-and-seek when the defendant enticed the girl to a grassy area where the offence occurred. He told her she was not to tell her mother what happened. The appearance of the victim's older brother startled the defendant, who denied ever going near the girl. The girl was taken to Crumlin Hospital, where a diagnosis of sexual assault was given to her family. Four days later the boy made a statement admitting his involvement.
Garda Cooper agreed with defence counsel Mr Erwan Mill Arden SC that the boy came from a good family.