Teenage boys accused of Ballymena sex assault appear before court again

By David Young, PA

Two 14-year-old boys charged with the attempted rape of a girl in Ballymena have appeared before a judge again.

The boys have been charged in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the Clonavon Terrace area of the Co Antrim town last month.

The incident sparked days of race-related anti-immigration rioting in Ballymena, with linked sporadic outbreaks of violence in other parts of the North.

The case was mentioned at a youth court sitting in Ballymena on Wednesday morning.

The two teenagers, who interacted with court through a Romanian interpreter, appeared together via video-link from a juvenile justice centre.

They were originally remanded into custody at their first court appearance two days after the alleged attack in June.

During Wednesday’s brief hearing before district judge Nigel Broderick a prosecution lawyer said a file on the case was still being prepared.

The prosecutor said she would confirm to the court at the next sitting whether an achieving best evidence (ABE) interview had been completed with the alleged victim.

Both boys are accused of attempting to orally rape the girl.

At their first court appearance last month, a judge was told both accused denied the alleged offence during interview with police.

The teenagers spoke briefly during Wednesday’s hearing to confirm they understood what was being discussed in court.

The boys were further remanded in custody as the case was listed again for a further review hearing on July 16th.

Legal representatives for both accused did not raise any objections to their further remand into custody.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800 77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline or visit Rape Crisis Help