A SCHOOLBOY has pleaded not guilty to a string of sex offences against eight girls including raping one aged 10.
The 15-year-old is accused of 22 charges in total allegedly carried out between 2022 and 2025.
The alleged victims were aged between 10 and 15 at the time, it was previously said.
He appeared at Wellingborough Youth Court today where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The youth is charged with one count of rape, rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration.
He is also accused of 12 counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexually assaulting a girl under 13.
The boy faces two charges of making an indecent image of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child, and one of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
The court heard some of the sexual assault allegations relate to the defendant touching the girls over and under clothing – including slapping one of them on the bottom.
One of the indecent images charges related to the alleged possession of three category C images of children, the court heard.
Judge Rebecca Crane, who did not wear a wig or robe for the hearing, told the defendant he will go on trial on October 25 next year.
She said the trial is expected to last three to four weeks.
The boy was granted conditional bail, instructing him not to contact the alleged victims and witnesses, to have no unsupervised contact with females under 16, and to engage with the Youth Justice Service.
