WHAT can society do to protect its children - from another child? That question was raised by a distressing case at York Crown Court earlier this month, in which a 13-year-old boy admitted sexually assaulting another boy aged eight.

The court's answer was to place the teenager under a three-year supervision order. It was a sentence that infuriated the parents of the eight-year-old.

His mother can hardly believe the offender is still free to walk the same streets as her traumatised son. "We want protection from this boy," she said. "Is it going to take another attack on a child before we get this?"

The local community shares her fear and anger. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition asking the Attorney General to look again at the sentence.

Their reaction is understandable, particularly as this was not an isolated offence. The teenager had previously been convicted of indecently assaulting his babysitter, a girl who needs counselling to help her recover from the ordeal.

After that assault, the boy was placed on the sex offenders' register. He went on to commit a series of sexual assaults on the eight-year-old, exposing the limited power of the register to dissuade repeat offending.

If these crimes had been carried out by an adult, he would have been jailed for several years. Quite rightly, the criminal justice system treats child offenders differently.

But it must also protect the public. The lives of this teenager's victims have been shattered by his crimes. Yet he is able to continue living nearby, in a community with many young children, despite a lack of evidence to say he is able to curb his offending.

It is rare for the Crown Prosecution Service to appeal against what it sees as a lenient sentence. The CPS is considering just that in this case. That suggests the court may have struck the wrong balance between the rights of the child offender and the right of his actual and potential child victims to protection.

Updated: 10:50 Thursday, November 15, 2001