A 15-year-old boy has been charged with a total of 22 sexual offences involving eight girls, with allegations including the rape of a 10-year-old girl. The teenager, whose identity remains protected due to his age, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on October 9, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court heard that the alleged incidents occurred between 2023 and 2025, with the victims aged between 10 and 15 at the time of the offences. The defendant was present in court alongside his mother, seated at the back of the courtroom during the proceedings.

The charges against him include one count of rape, specifically the rape of a child under 13, and assault by penetration. He also faces 12 counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13. Additionally, the boy is charged with two counts of creating an indecent image of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child, and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Details revealed in court indicated that some of the sexual assault allegations involve inappropriate touching of the girls, both over and under their clothing. One specific allegation includes the defendant slapping one of the victims on the bottom. Furthermore, one of the charges regarding indecent images pertains to the alleged possession of three category C images of children.

Judge Rebecca Crane informed the teenager that his trial is set to commence on October 25, 2027, and is expected to last between three to four weeks. In the meantime, he has been granted conditional bail, which includes strict instructions to refrain from making contact with the alleged victims and witnesses. He is also prohibited from unsupervised interaction with girls under the age of 16 and is required to engage with the Youth Justice Service as part of his bail conditions.