Boy Allegedly Rapes 8-Year-Old Friend During Playdate, Victim's Mother Claims

A British mother revealed how her 8-year-old son was the victim of rape at the hands of the child’s friend during a playdate at the family’s home.

The parent, identified as Sarah, went on BBC News’ "Victoria Derbyshire" show on Thursday and alleged that the abuse took place when she invited her son’s friend over for an after-school playdate.

The news comes as the numbers of sexual assault cases between children in England has reportedly spiked over the last four years.

"That evening he just wasn’t himself. He said he just doesn’t want to be here anymore. He told me he was in pain because someone had been hurting him," she told the journalist on the British news program. "I was absolutely gobsmacked. I couldn’t believe it. He kept crying and crying. He was in such a state, I didn’t know what to do."

The children had apparently gone to the victim's bedroom where the suspect had barricaded the room door. He then raped the boy and told him not to tell his parents what had happened.

The mother said her son, who had a look of distress on his face, told her about the incident during bedtime after the playdate. She also said that her son's friend had attempted to rape the boy on four separate occasions.

After going to the police the next morning, Sarah said she felt powerless.

"The police told us they interviewed him but as he was under the age of criminal prosecution there was little they could do," she said. "It’s quite hard to accept that something horrific can happen and there are no consequences. It seems completely wrong to me."

Sarah claimed that the alleged incident has left her son depressed and "regularly prone to low moods" with thoughts of harming himself.

Because of this, she said she looked to bring the issue to light and educate other parents regarding child-on-child sex abuse.

"Young children are capable or raping or abusing young children," she added, "thought if I don’t know, that must mean lots of others aren’t aware of it."