Sunderland City Council's social services department criticised for ignoring warnings (From The Northern Echo)

Sunderland City Council's social services department criticised for ignoring warnings

8:35am Friday 13th November 2009

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A DISABLED boy was raped after social services bosses twice ignored calls for his 11-year-old attacker to be taken into care, a court heard.

At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, Judge Beatrice Bolton criticised Sunderland City Council’s social services department and said the attack would not have taken place had the authority heeded the pleas of a consultant child psychiatrist in the weeks leading up to it.

The nine-year-old victim was raped on June 8, less than three months after Dr Stephen Westgarth wrote two letters to the social services department.

Judge Bolton said: “It is a great pity that Dr Westgarth wrote to social services on March 23 recommending that you should be placed in care, and that his letter appears to have been ignored.”

“He wrote again on May 26 and he received no reply and nothing happened.

“If something had happened, and if you had moved away from home, you would not have done this to the boy.”

Dr Helen Paterson, executive director of children’s services for Sunderland City Council, said the authority fully acknowledged the judge’s comments.

She said: “Clearly, these matters will be addressed through the serious case review process which we are involved with as a key partner.

“We are not in a position to comment further until the executive summary report of the serious case review is published.”

The court heard that the defendant raped the younger boy after bribing him with Pokemon games.

He attacked him after luring him to his bedroom on the pretence of playing on his Xbox games console.

Penny Moreland, prosecuting, said that the attack took place on the defendant’s bed and lasted for about 15 seconds.

The boy told police it hurt, but the defendant kept on doing it because the boy said he still wanted the Pokemon games.

Miss Moreland said: “The boy said it made him feel sad, but he was trying his best because he wanted the Pokemon game.”

The defendant, now 12, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously admitted a single charge of rape and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years detention, with another three-and-a-half years on licence once he is released.

In mitigation, Gavin Doig said: “All those that have seen him say that, with support, he will be able to respond to treatment.”

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