A TEENAGER raped a young girl after contacting her via social networking site Facebook and arranging to meet in a park.

The 15-year-old - who was 14 at the time of the offence - took her to a secluded area and encouraged her to perform a sex act on him.

Teesside Crown Court heard the girl was just 11 which meant she was legally unable to consent even though she had agreed to perform the act.

Prosecutor David Lamb said she had been encouraged by others to behave in the way the defendant wanted.

He said the offence emerged after two police community support officers patrolling the Middlesbrough park were approached by two girls who told them what had happened.

Mr Lamb said the girl was unaware what she was doing was wrong but later said she felt ashamed.

The victim, in a statement, said she could no longer visit many of her favourite places for fear of meeting the teenager.

She described how her life had changed for the worse and that she regularly sits in her bedroom alone, listening to music and crying.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested and later admitted a charge of rape - involving oral sex - with a child under 13.

The court heard he believed she was older and “looked 14 or 15 with make-up”.

Amy Dixon, mitigating, said reports concluded he was at low risk of committing further offences of this nature.

She said the boy, said to have moderate learning difficulties, agreed not to have unsupervised contact with under 13s, not to use Facebook and also not to have sleepovers at friends’ homes.

Ms Dixon referred Judge George Moorhouse to sentencing guidelines which suggested custody should only be a last resort for someone so young.

Judge Moorhouse gave the 15-year-old a youth rehabilitation order with an 18 month intensive supervision and surveillance element.

He is already registered as a sex offender for the next two and-a-half years and was further made subject to a three month long electronically tagged night-time curfew.