The case of a 12-year-old boy who raped and sexually assaulted a girl three years his junior after viewing hard-core pornography on the internet could be “the tip of the iceberg”, a court heard yesterday.
A judge was told that the boy, who is now 14, was “emulating” adult acts he had seen on explicit websites.
Sean Templeton, for the defence, said that the boy had “unfettered access” to the internet. He added: “There is a real risk that young people of the current generation are growing up with a skewed view of what sex is and sexual activity.”
He told the High Court in Edinburgh in a closed session: “This is the tip of the iceberg. Many, many cases throughout the country may not be identified, not reported, not coming to anyone’s attention.”
The judge, Lady Anne Smith, told the boy, who cannot be identified, that she could consider a non-custodial disposal and was going to send it to the children’s panel where he could be kept under continuing supervision and be given the opportunity to “make something of yourself”. She added: “You should not and must not regard pornography as any guide at all as to how to behave sexually.”
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The boy had admitted rape and sexual assault between December 1, 2010, and January 31, 2011, in a Scottish island community.