12 Year Old Boy Gang Raped By Teenagers

THE RAPE of a 12-year-old boy by five teenagers was not "natural behaviour" for children, prompting fears the attackers may also have been abused, the head investigating police officer told a Darwin court today.

The victim says he was sexually assaulted more than 20 times at Maningrida, a remote Aboriginal community about 500km east of Darwin, by a group of five teenagers and four adults. The youngest alleged attacker was 13, the oldest was 39.

The juveniles face a total of 18 charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, deprivation of liberty, aggravated assault and administering a stupefying drug.

Their committal hearing in Darwin Magistrates Court today heard detectives seized a jar of vaseline, baby oil, a cannabis wood pipe and five pornographic DVDS from a house where one of the alleged attacks occurred.

Titles including Teenage Brother Lovers, Gang Banging Whores, Barely 18 and Ass Eaters were among the collection.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Sergeant Travis Wurst, today said the age of some of the accused made him concerned they could have also been victims.

“It isn't the natural behaviour of children that age and naturally we were concerned that they may have been subjected to something in the past,” he said.

“It could have been anything, we had no idea. However, our concern didn't stop with the fact that they had been charged with these offences.

“Our concern was that they might have been involved not as perpetrators but as victims.”

But, he said, no evidence had emerged to confirm his suspicions.

Investigations into the case started soon after the boy presented to Darwin Hospital in May last year with gonorrhoea. He was later found during a medical examination to have anal fissures.

During earlier court proceedings, the crown alleged the victim was bound with shoelaces, drugged and forced to watch porn during one of five attacks that began in April 2006.

He was also allegedly held under water, raped with a stick and made to perform oral sex while being sodomised.

The men have been charged with a total of 10 offences, including sexual intercourse with a minor without consent and aggravated assault.

The second half of their separate committal hearing resumes on April 16.

The hearing for the juveniles will continue before Magistrate Dick Wallace on May 11.

- AAP