Payout after sex assault on girl, 6, by boys at school
THe family of a six-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by boys in a school playground yesterday won compensation from their local council.
The five-figure settlement is thought to be the first time the High Court has approved the settlement of a case of sexual assault involving primary school children.
The little girl – called Bella to protect her true identity – had counselling after she told her mother about the repeated sexual assaults, the BBC reported.
A member of staff at the school had reportedly found Bella with her underwear partly removed and one of the boys standing behind her.
The assaults have resulted in her having nightmares, and becoming increasingly anxious and scared to leave her house.
Bella’s parents argued that the school had failed in its duty to prevent assaults – or to sufficiently train staff to spot the signs.
Her mother told the BBC: ‘we had a broken little girl who had been seriously sexually assaulted repeatedly over a number of weeks in school, feeling unsafe in school and she had nothing.
‘It matters for her I think when she’s older. She can make some sense of how she could be so seriously sexually assaulted so many times in a place where she should have been safe; when she finds out that not only were the boys not prosecuted, not punished, but also that the people who were responsible for keeping her safe didn’t even write an apology to say, “Yes, we know we got it wrong and we’re sorry.”’
The family is hoping the court action will highlight the lack of support available to children who suffer sexual assault at school. Although the council has paid the family an undisclosed five-figure sum, it has not accepted liability, the BBC said.
A child aged under ten who carries out a sexual assault cannot be held criminally responsible.
Rachel Krys, of the end Violence Against women Coalition, said: ‘Schools are not being given enough guidance on tackling peer-on-peer abuse. Safeguarding is seen as very much protecting children from adults who might pose a risk. In fact, lots of girls and boys face risks from other children in the classroom.’
In September new guidelines for schools set out their legal duty to keep children safe, including from sexual violence.