Two teenagers from the West Midlands convicted of raping schoolgirl
Two West Midlands teenagers will be sentenced by a judge in February after they were convicted of raping a schoolgirl during the Appleby Horse Fair.
The two teenagers, now aged 18, were just 14 and 15, respectively, when they visited a Cumbrian town in late May, 2019.
This was ahead of the historic annual gathering of gipsies and travellers which attracted tens of thousands of people.
In an interview with police played at Carlisle Crown Court, the girl recalled that the individuals asked her repeatedly if she wanted to go for a walk just minutes after they had met.
When she replied "I don’t know," one grabbed her wrist before leading her over the town’s main bridge.
"I was nervous because I didn’t know what was going to happen next," she had said.
The girl said she was then attacked in a town centre alleyway by the two young strangers who, the court heard, told her: “Do it.”
“I was scared and shaking,” she told police.
The two young men were detained by officers after the incident was reported.
Each denied one charge of rape and at the crown court went on trial in front of a jury which lasted several weeks.
After hearing evidence, the jury found the teenagers guilty after deliberating for more than 10 hours despite their claims that they were not guilty of wrongdoing.
They were were remanded in custody by the trial judge, His Honour Ian Unsworth KC.
They are due to be sentenced on February 17.
