Teen guilty of raping girl in Belfast park

AN 18-year-old man has been banned from working with children and placed on the sex offenders register for five years after he was found guilty of raping a child in the Waterworks park in north Belfast.

The accused, who was 16 at the time, was released on bail ahead of sentencing next month.

Following a week-long trial at Belfast Crown Court, a jury of six men and six women spent over eight hours deliberating three charges before returning with guilty verdicts.

During the trial, both the girl and the defendant gave evidence.

Both confirmed to the court that they met on Facebook a few weeks prior to meeting in person at the Waterworks in north Belfast on the evening of May 17, 2017.

The girl admitted she lied on her Facebook profile about her age and also lied to the defendant before they met up, telling him she was 14 when in fact she was 12.

They also both agreed that the incident occurred in a wooded area in the park, and while the girl claimed she was dragged into the bushes, the defendant claimed they walked in together.

The girl said he said to her, ‘Do you want to do stuff ?’, to which she replied ‘No’, then he took her jeans off and subjected her to a sexual assault before raping her twice.

Following deliberations which spanned a two-day period, the defendant was found guilty by a majority of 10 to two on a charge of sexual assault and one of the rape charges. He was also found unanimously guilty on the other rape charge.

Judge David McFarland ordered the preparation of a number of reports ahead of sentencing on March 20.