By Tara Ravens
THREE teenagers accused of repeatedly raping a 12-year-old boy over five months at a remote community have been committed to stand trial.
They will join three adults in the NT Supreme Court in August over allegations the group sexually assaulted the boy more than 20 times at the community east of Darwin.
The 12-year-old victim says he was bound with shoelaces, drugged, forced to watch porn and raped with a stick from April last year by a gang of ten locals, the oldest of whom was 39 and the youngest 13.
At court in Maningrida yesterday, Magistrate Dick Wallace ordered three of teenagers - now aged 14, 17 and 17 - to stand trial.
He discharged two youths because he found they did not have the capacity to understand what they were doing was seriously wrong.
The juveniles now face a total of 11 charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated assault, exposing a child to an indecent act and deprivation of liberty.
They will appear with the three adults in the NT Supreme Court for an arraignment on August 27.
Magistrate David Loadman last week ordered the three men stand trial but he found there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against a fourth. Charges against a fifth man were dropped last year.
Mr Loadman also cast doubt over the strength of the prosecution's evidence but ruled the matters should go before a jury.
THREE teenagers accused of repeatedly raping a 12-year-old boy over five months at a remote community have been committed to stand trial.
They will join three adults in the NT Supreme Court in August over allegations the group sexually assaulted the boy more than 20 times at the community east of Darwin.
The 12-year-old victim says he was bound with shoelaces, drugged, forced to watch porn and raped with a stick from April last year by a gang of ten locals, the oldest of whom was 39 and the youngest 13.
At court in Maningrida yesterday, Magistrate Dick Wallace ordered three of teenagers - now aged 14, 17 and 17 - to stand trial.
He discharged two youths because he found they did not have the capacity to understand what they were doing was seriously wrong.
The juveniles now face a total of 11 charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated assault, exposing a child to an indecent act and deprivation of liberty.
They will appear with the three adults in the NT Supreme Court for an arraignment on August 27.
Magistrate David Loadman last week ordered the three men stand trial but he found there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against a fourth. Charges against a fifth man were dropped last year.
Mr Loadman also cast doubt over the strength of the prosecution's evidence but ruled the matters should go before a jury.