boy, 8, was raped by his primary schoolfriend, mother reveals to Victoria Derbyshire

A mother has told how her eight-year-old son was raped by a schoolfriend on a play date as the shocking scale of sex attacks on young children has been revealed.

The parent had invited the boy, who was younger than her son and a friend from primary school, over to the family home to play with Lego.

After the two children went up to the boy’s bedroom, the friend wedged the door shut with a chair and drew the curtains before asking to see the boy’s genitals.

The mother, who gave her name as Sarah, said the boy then raped her son and told him not to tell his parents, who would be angry with him if he did so.

Speaking on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire Show, Sarah revealed that the boy attempted to rape her son on four other occasions beforehand.

The abuse was finally revealed during bedtime, after she asked her son what was wrong after he became visibly upset when the boy had left.

It comes as the amount of cases of abuse carried out by schoolfriends on each other doubled in the last four years.

Mosac, which supports parents and carers of sexually abused children, said that cases had risen to 58 in 2017, up dramatically from 27 in 2013. 

Sarah told Victoria Derbyshire that she had been ignorant to the possibility that her child could be abused by primary school-age friends.

Speaking about the impact the incident has had on her son, she added: ‘He’s not the same boy. He’s still regularly prone to low moods.

‘He’s had two rounds of counselling, which has helped. Thankfully he’s now made new friends – but he’s the one who has had to start afresh.’

The mother told Victoria Derbyshire that she had been ignorant to the possibility that her child could be abused by primary school-age friends (stock image)