News & Politics - 11-year-old boy accused of sex assault

Ambular · 11-18-2004, 02:27 PM

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Philadelphia police yesterday accused a male 11-year-old Stetson Middle School student of raping another boy in a third-floor stairway following a dispute over a ball.

The assault occurred about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday inside a fire tower stairway on the third floor of the school at 3200 B St. in Philadelphia's Kensington section. Stetson, a public school, is managed by the for-profit Edison Schools Inc.

Both the alleged perpetrator and the victim, age 12, are classified as "special-education students," district officials said, but they declined to elaborate on the boys' disabilities.

Edison official Richard Barth said that at the time of the assault, the suspect was cutting class and the victim had a pass to use the bathroom.

Police said the suspect encountered the victim in a fourth-floor bathroom, where they got into a dispute over a ball. The suspect then grabbed the older boy by the neck, choked him, and threatened him. The victim left the bathroom, but was chased by the younger boy.

According to police, the 11-year-old boy forced the victim to lower his pants, then raped him. The suspect warned the victim not to tell anyone.

The older boy told a teacher and was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children for treatment, police said.

Both boys are in sixth grade, but not in the same class, officials said. It was unclear whether the boys knew each other before the attack.

Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of city schools, said the district had launched an investigation into the assault and, along with Edison, would take action against any employees who were derelict in duties.

"Clearly, there are enough freed-up adults in that school to monitor every nook and cranny of that school," he said, noting that there are 15 nonteaching employees at Stetson.

"If there's been any dereliction of duty, we expect action to be taken. Children should not be able to disappear in a building for even a limited period of time."

The suspect - whose name was not released - had no arrest record, police said. He was charged with indecent deviate sexual intercourse, assault, simple assault, threats and related offenses.

I simply CANNOT BELIEVE this. It's even more twisted than the other story circulating here about the Mary-Kay Leternou-wannabe. This is so sick! I don't understand what was wrong with this kid that he would do such a thing ... What kind of family life must he have?

I mean ... I understand if he has some kind of mental handicap (even though it was unspecified) but I have never heard of any 11 year old kid actually raping another one. Fighting, maybe.

Furthermore, it's inexusable that no one at the school noticed. It obviously took more than a minute for the whole incident to occur. And out in the open hallway, nonetheless. Just unbelievable.

coolove · 11-18-2004, 04:52 PM

That's a shocker. I was just talking about cases like this in my law class.

dizzy_izzy · 11-19-2004, 01:07 AM

The only reason I could possibly come up with that would explain the suspects actions over such a stupid dispute would be that's what happened or happens to him at home whenever he doesn't obey. Even if he didn't have any disability, if something like that happens frequently throughout his lifetime, he'll think that's normal.
Everyday, people in this world surprise me, and not in the uplifting kinda way.

SweetLisaLisa · 11-19-2004, 01:43 AM

These are special ed kids. Why weren't they being monitored?

And what is this kids life like at home that he felt the need to rape another boy?

spent cigarette · 11-19-2004, 06:53 AM

Well, the boy does suffer from a disability. Maybe when/if we know what that is, things will make more sense. But this is just appauling. Agreeing with whoever mentioned it earlier, if they're going to a special-education school you would think there would be monitoring going on. The fact noone noticed anything is crazy in itself.

And as for the rapist...I know being mentally handicapped is definetly no excuse and doesn't justify his actions, but the fact that he does have a disability opens the idea that he didn't know what he was doing was wrong. My sister has cerebral palsy, and while it doesn't affect her mentally I have seen plenty of kids who don't have a sense of right and wrong. A boy will pull a girl's hair, be told to not do it as it is naughty, and just giggle and keep pulling. They know what they're doing is wrong, but they don't know what wrong is, if that makes any sense.

No justifying what he did, just offering insight.


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