Two young boys have been convicted of the attempted rape of an 8-year-old British girl who admitted lying about her attack. The boys, ages 10 and 11, are the youngest ever in the nation to be convicted of such a crime; the verdict provoked immediate controversy, with the pair's lawyer charging that they are guilty of little more than "playing doctor." The girl initially said the two had "done sex" with her, then later said they didn't rape her, and that they were playing a game. She said she lied because she thought her mother would be upset she had been "naughty."
The judge ruled that it was up to the jury to determine if the girl lied or not, though he himself expressed misgivings about the case that jurors were not told, reports the Telegraph. "No one who has sat through this trial would think for a moment that the system we employ is ideal," he said. "The reality remains that we have a witness who said one thing and has now said completely the opposite. If you had an adult witness who said what this girl said the Crown would not be proceeding.” It wasn't immediately clear what penalties the boys might face. (More child rape stories.)