A 14-year-old Te Puke girl has been sentenced in the Tauranga District Court to three years' jail on charges of sexual violation, attempted rape, robbery and kidnapping.
The girl was sentenced in the district court because the charges were too serious for the Youth Court.
Judge Ian Thomas suppressed the
girl's name, saying it might help with her longer-term rehabilitation.
The six charges arose from an incident involving a 13-year-old boy and girl at Jamieson Oval, Te Puke, last November 11.
The 14-year-old was the main offender when the 13-year-olds were taken inside an unused scoreboard building and ordered at knifepoint to have sex.
The Crown's summary of facts stated that the 14-year-old - in the company of an 18-year-old, a 16-year-old, a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old - made the semi-naked boy lie on top of the semi-naked girl.
The accused 14-year-old held a craft knife to his throat to prevent him pulling up his pants.
The pair were then forced to have oral sex.
When the five offenders were disturbed, they ran off.
The girl's lawyer, Craig Horsley, said the offending had its origins in childish jealousies and/or revenge and retaliation.
The girl had been failed by every social welfare system and her own family, he said.
She had missed out on love, nurturing, protection and care.
The girl's psychological, emotional and sexual safety had been neglected. She had dropped out of school at the age of 12.
Four notifications about her to Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) had not been followed up.
What she did might have been a reflection of the drug and alcohol abuse, violence and neglect she had witnessed throughout her life and seen as normal and acceptable.
Mr Horsley sought a one-year jail term followed by one year of supervision, with the supervision providing some intervention.
Judge Thomas said one year was not long enough, as the girl would be out in eight months. He described her as a young person who had had a dreadful life.
An adult offender charged with what she did would be facing a sentence starting at eight to 10 years jail.
Her family had failed her and it was left to the courts to provide some intervention in the hope of rehabilitation.
The girl would be sent to Auckland Women's Prison from Tauranga.
The judge ordered that before her transfer to a youth prison, she be kept apart from adult prisoners.
He expressed the hope that most of her sentence would be served in a jail or an institution run by CYFS, preferably Kingslea Youth Facility in Christchurch.
The girl's four co-accused are before the courts.
- NZPA
A 14-year-old Te Puke girl has been sentenced in the Tauranga District Court to three years' jail on charges of sexual violation, attempted rape, robbery and kidnapping.
The girl was sentenced in the district court because the charges were too serious for the Youth Court.
Judge Ian Thomas suppressed the
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