A 15-year-old North Yorkshire schoolboy, who raped a five-year-old boy and attempted to rape his six-year-old brother, was today locked up for four years and put on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

York Crown Court was told that the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was babysitting the two little brothers when he assaulted them.

He was caught when babysitting them on another occasion and their mother came home unexpectedly to find him acting "suspiciously".

Judge Arthur Myerson, QC, told the boy: "It was abuse of two very small children who were entrusted to your care, albeit on a babysitter basis, in respect of who at your age you had and must have realised that you had obligations."

The boy from Harrogate had earlier admitted one charge of rape against the younger boy, one of attempted rape against the same boy and two of attempted rape against the older boy.

Defending, Jonathan Rose said: "The defendant himself would want me to express in open court and particularly in the presence of the family of the complainants, the great remorse that he feels with the great sorrow that he has over the offences which he has committed."

The boy was also stricken with grief over the affect his crime had had on his family.

He had freely confessed what he had done to police and to his mother immediately after he was caught.

He was little more than a child himself and although there had been signs of misbehaviour in the past, they had been of a school playground type.

It was his first appearance before a court.

The judge said that in making the sentence he accepted that the boy needed a long period of treatment to solve his sexual problems.

The boy was taken back to Eastmoor Secure Unit where he has been on remand.

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