A 15-year-old boy has denied 22 sexual offence charges involving eight girls, including allegations of rape and the rape of a child under 13, at Northampton Crown Court in England.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday, October 9. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 2023 and 2025, when the girls were aged between 10 and 15, according to information previously presented in a youth court.
The defendant appeared in court accompanied by his mother and entered his pleas from a seat at the back of the courtroom.
The charges include one count of rape, one count of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration. He also faces 12 counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
The remaining allegations concern images involving children. These include two counts of making an indecent image of a child, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
The court heard details of some of the alleged sexual assaults, including claims that the defendant touched the girls over and under their clothing. One allegation involved slapping a girl on the bottom.
One of the charges relating to indecent images concerns the alleged possession of three Category C images of children, according to the court.
Judge Rebecca Crane told the teenager that his trial is scheduled to begin on October 25, 2027. The proceedings are expected to last between three and four weeks.
The defendant was granted conditional bail. The conditions require him to avoid contact with the alleged victims and witnesses, refrain from unsupervised interaction with girls under the age of 16, and engage with the Youth Justice Service.
The allegations have not been proven, and the defendant has pleaded not guilty. The case is due to return to court for trial next year.
