Teenager who raped 14-year-old girl in Edinburgh park detained for three years
Teenager placed on Sex Offenders Register for life following attack
A teenager who raped a 14-year-old girl in an Edinburgh park has been detained for three years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
The youth, who is from the Edinburgh area but cannot be named due to his age, assaulted the now 15-year-old girl at Joppa Quarry Park in Edinburgh on August 22, 2024.
BBC Scotland News reports that the High Court in Edinburgh heard how the teenager, who was 14 at the time, attacked the girl after spending time messaging her.
The youth was convicted of rape earlier this year but sentence was deferred for background reports.
At his sentencing, the judge told the teenage boy his offending was so serious that he would have to give him a custodial sentence.
Lord Harrower said the girl - who is anonymous but was given the name Sara in court - was "left badly shaken and distressed" by the incident, which lasted less than half an hour.
During proceedings earlier this year, the court heard how the youth had said he wanted to go the park to vape. The court heard that he had sat with "Sara" on a bench and she had felt "uneasy."
The boy waited for a dog walker to leave then raped her, leaving her with physical injuries and feeling badly shaken and distressed.
Defence advocate Gail Gianni said her client had an intellectual disability and maintained he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
Lord Harrower told the youth that the young person's sentencing guidelines applied to him, allowing a shorter sentence than an older man would receive.