7 And 8-Year-Old Rapists: Boys Allegedly Raped Two Young Girls, Probably Won’t Be Prosecuted

Two children, ages 7- and 8-years-old, are suspected of committing rape. Shocking investigative evidence reportedly proved that the two young boys committed the crimes sometime last year. Brief details about the alleged crimes were released. But, due to the ages of the alleged victims and offenders, no names or specified information has been released.

According to Manchester Evening News, the 7-year-old boy allegedly raped a girl “under the age of 13,” and the 8-year-old is suspected of raping a girl “under the age of 16.” The boys are among more than 1,000 minors who allegedly committed crimes in the Greater Manchester area. But, even if they are found guilty, there’s one big problem: They can never be prosecuted for the heinous crimes.

Under U.K. law, children under the age of 10 can never be charged for the crime or taken to court, reports Mirror. The local police admitted that cases involving child offenders and victims are usually the most difficult to tackle. Due to age limit restrictions in the UK, justice may never be served for most young victims. Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick recently weighed in with details about cases of this nature.

“It is always upsetting when very young children are involved in crime and that is why there is a communal responsibility for all agencies to respond, not just to the needs of the victim, but also the offender. A child does not just go out and commit a crime; there are a whole host of influences that can lead to an incident occurring.”

Although children under 10 cannot be charged, Det. Supt. Chadwick explained that “special measures” have been put in place for child offenders in these situations.

“If we identify that the individual suspected of that crime is under the age of 10, and therefore under the age of criminal responsibility, they are dealt with on a case-by-case. Investigations are handled sensitively by specially-trained officers, as there are often a number of complex factors that need to be considered with regard to both the victim and the offender.

“For instance, we and a number of partner agencies such as social services, local safeguarding boards, youth offending teams work closely with the parents or guardians of that person to address the cause of the offending.”

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