Boy, 12, raped six-year-old sister ‘to recreate Grand Theft Auto scene’, court told

Child admits attacking sibling on numerous occasions after viewing sexual content in 18-rated video game

Grand Theft Auto V was released in 2013 (Getty Images)

A 12-year-old boy raped his six-year-old sister because he wanted to re-enact a scene from the video game Grand Theft Auto, a court has heard.

The boy is said to have attacked his victim on numerous occasions at their family home while adults were in another room or asleep, including on Christmas Day.

One incident was apparently triggered after the child watched footage of a sexual act in the game, which has an 18-rating under the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) classification scheme.

While it is unclear which scene the boy was attempting to replicate, controversy has long surrounded the ability for players to pick up sex workers in the game and perform a range of acts with them.

Swindon Youth Court was told he had decided to recreate the scene by raping his younger sibling, who had been in the room at the time.

The incidents were uncovered after the girl confided about what her brother had made her do to a friend at school, who then told their teacher.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before a judge to admit three counts of rape and one of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.

His mother looked close to tears as the charges were read out in court, holding the boy’s hand before he was given a 12-month referral order.

If he completes the order in the out-of-town therapeutic facility where he currently lives, the four charges to which he pleaded guilty will be removed from his criminal record.

His defence lawyer, Gordon Hotson, said the centre represented a “one-off opportunity to sort this young man out”, adding he had been “opening up to staff and working well with them”.

The boy, who is from Swindon and has since turned 13, sat impassively for most of the hearing, but smiled when the judge spoke to him about football – a sport he hopes to play professionally one day.

The judge also asked what he would do if he had the opportunity to commit his crimes again, to which the teenager responded: “I would stop myself, I have learned that it’s wrong.”

Prosecutor Russell Pyne told the court: “He had been watching sex acts in porn and wanted to see what it was like for himself.”

The boy’s mother told the court he was “doing really well” and hoped her family could one day reconcile.

“We just want to make things right and do what's best for the safety of the children,” she added.

“My daughter used to be very sad about it all because she worried this was her fault, but she’s come on leaps and bounds, she’s a very strong girl and there’s not an ounce of sadness in her now, I’m so proud of her.”

The boy was added to the sex offenders register for two-and-a-half years.

Additional reporting by SWNS