A TEENAGER who repeatedly raped a boy who was aged five or six years old has walked free from court.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, got the little lad to carry out a sex act on him when he was babysitting for the child.

And he also made the youngster behave inappropriately with a sex toy, telling him not to tell anyone about what he had been doing to him as it was 'their little secret'.

But the child told a friend of the teenager about had been going on and after that youth told the child's mum, the police were called in.

When he was questioned by police the defendant, from the Pinehurst area, denied any wrongdoing, initially pleading not guilty when he appeared before a judge.

However soon after the case was brought back to court where he admitted what he had done.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that the defendant was a friend of the boy's family and would often look after the victim.

In August last year the youngster told another boy about what had been going on, saying it had happened about ten times over the past year.

The teenager admitted raping the child on at least three occasions in the 16 months up to March this year and sexually assaulting him three time.

In a victim personal statement the boy's mum said he has had difficulties with anger since the incident and had nightmares that the older boy was coming to do it again.

Rob Ross, defending, pointed out that his client was only aged 15 or 16 at the time of the offending.

"This young man has a number of issues about his sexuality and position in society that needs to be addressed specifically," he told the court.

He said that he had not reoffended since and urged the court to give him help in society rather than locking him up with more entrenched offenders.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Blair QC said: "If I was the victim's parents I would be unspeakably angry with you for what you have done on these occasions.

"I don't know what I would do with myself frankly if I found out this is what you had done while babysitting.

"It is utterly, utterly, unacceptable and disgusting and what is worse is the harm you have caused to that young boy that will take a lifetime, probably, to bury and get over.

"It is made worse when it seems your behaviour was such that you had got yourself drunk and high on cannabis.

"And you must go away from this court not thinking you are not going to have to face up to the next two years to the serious nature of what you did and its affect on him.

"I could perfectly properly send you to a Young Offenders' Institute for a not short period of time where you would be locked up with a lot of criminals.

"Where you would be utterly miserable, where you would be receiving your rightful punishment for doing all of that.

"What I also have to bear in mind, as Mr Ross has said, is you are a young person aged 17 and at the time of this you were 15 or 16 and the courts are very, very, careful about sending someone to a prison at that sort of age when it can be extremely harmful and damaging to you for the rest of your life."

He imposed a two-year youth rehabilitation order with intensive supervision, a three month curfew, and imposed a sexual harm prevention order restricting his liberty.

The lad will also have to register as a sex offender for two-and-a-half years and his mother must abide by a parenting order for a year to help her.

An NSPCC spokesperson for South West England said: “This was an extremely worrying case in which a vulnerable young boy was repeatedly raped and sexually abused over the course of 16 months.

“Sexual abuse like this can have a huge impact on both the childhood of the victim and on their family who will inevitably have to deal with the consequences for many years to come.

“We would urge any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person to call our helpline for free, 24/7, on 0808 800 5000. Meanwhile, children can call ChildLine on 0800 1111.”