Boy, 13, guilty of attempted rapes and sexual assaults on women in Telford
A 13-year-old schoolboy has been found guilty of a string of sexual assaults and two counts of attempted rape after preying on women on his way home from school.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had denied nine counts of sexual assault, two counts of attempted rape and a charge of assault.
Judge Ian Strongman, sitting at Kidderminster Youth Court, said he was "satisfied" the boy had attacked four women aged between 16 and 34 between December 15, 2022, and January 19 this year.
But he dismissed a charge of sexual assault and one count of assault by battery against another woman due to a lack of evidence. He also ordered a single charge of sexual assault against one of the victims be dropped due to a lack of evidence.
The court heard how the four women were attacked between 4pm and 5.30pm in the Telford area by a boy in school uniform.
The boy had declined to give evidence in his own defence, but the court had heard how he told arresting officers that it was a case of mistaken identity.
He also claimed that while he had spoken to one of the victims, it was only to return a pair of headphones that she had dropped.
On a further occasion, the boy told investigating officers he had tripped on a shoelace behind a women but denied assaulting her.
But Judge Strongman dismissed his version of events as being "clearly untrue".
He said he was "satisfied" the boy had attempted to rape two of the women and had sexually assaulted the others.
The court had earlier heard from constable Kieran Gale of West Mercia Police, who said that the boy was identified thanks to his distinctive coat and bag.
CCTV footage also showed the defendant's movements after leaving school during the days of the attacks, which placed him near to the scenes.
The victims also all described their attacker as being young and in school uniform.
One woman had told police how she feared she was going to be raped after she was walking home from college.
"I was yelling 'Help'," she told the officers. "I was scared and thought, oh, my God, what is happening, how do I get out of this?"
The woman said she managed fight off her attacker and flee.
Another woman told the court how she had been dragged into bushes by the boy before she too was able to free herself.
Judge Strongman said the women had "fought bravely and persistently", and described the schoolboy as a potential "danger to women".
He added: "One of the reasons these attacks, for want of a better word, were not successful, is that the defendant is only 13. I have no doubt in a few months or so he will be stronger and taller and may pose a real danger to women."
After finding the boy guilty of seven counts of sexual assault and two charges of attempted rape committed against four women, he ordered a pre-sentence report and said the boy would be sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on May 5.
He added that the boy, who is currently remanded in the care of the local authority, had to inform his local police station of his whereabouts.
Detective Sergeant Chris Henry said after the verdict: “I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in giving evidence to the court which led to today’s verdict.
“Thankfully attacks such as these are rare but women everywhere can take reassurance from the fact that we will not hesitate to act when they do.”
