11 YEAR OLD BOY ARRAIGNED BEFORE COURT FOR PUTTING HIS HANDS IN BETWEEN WOMAN'S LEGS

One of the youngest sex offenders to be arrested for assaulting an
adult has been sent on a sex education course.


The 11-year-old Romanian boy forced his hands between his victim's
thighs after confronting her while she was out shopping.


The boy, who has now turned 12 and cannot be named because of his age,
then rode off on his bicycle.


He denied sexually assaulting the woman but was found guilty following
a trial at North London Youth Court.


The boy had given police a variety of different addresses before they
tracked him and his family down.


District Judge John Perkins handed him a nine-month youth
rehabilitation order - the juvenile equivalent of a community order -
and sent him on an educational course.


He said: 'This was an unpleasant offence, and you continued to deny
that you did this when in my view, the evidence was overwhelming.


'It clearly caused great distress to the young woman concerned, and
because you showed no remorse and did not admit it she had to come to
court to tell me about it.

'You show a low risk of further harmful behaviour, and you have never
done anything like this before.'


The boy, who is not in school and spends his days cycling around the
streets with friends, smirked as he left court with his parents, who
were ordered to undergo
childcare training.


The youngster committed the assault in the early afternoon of June 26
this year in Wycombe Road, Tottenham, north London,
after approaching the victim and saying 'hello'.


Prosecutor Lorna Ewen said: 'He then, with his right hand, moved
towards her and grabbed her between the thighs before
cycling off.


'The victim called the police and she pointed him out to them as the
person who assaulted her.


'He dropped his bike and was chased by the police. When later
interviewed, he admitted
being present but denied any sexual assault.'


The boy, who lives in Manor Park, east London, was given a nine-month
youth rehabilitation order with a supervision requirement and told to
attend a programme with the youth offending team
for six months focusing on sexually harmful behaviour.


His parents were told to complete a six-month parenting course and
encouraged to get their son into education.