The teenage son of a devoutly religious nurse is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at the height of last week's riots.
Last night the distraught mother spoke of her 'shame' at failing to save him from being sucked into gang culture despite the family's strong disciplinarian principles.
In the most depraved incident to emerge from the riots, her 15-year-old son allegedly used the chaos as cover to rob the girl before throwing her on to the broken glass-strewn ground and subjecting her to an appalling sexual ordeal.
Accusation: The teenage son of a devoutly religious nurse is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at the height of last week's riots in Woolwich, London, pictured here ablaze
Accusation: A 13-year-old was allegedly raped during last week's riots
At her modest flat in south London, the mother said: 'We can't quite believe this accusation.
'We are a good family with Christian values.
'He is not from a broken home.'
Details of the alleged rape emerged as the Prime Minister prepared to warn of a 'slow-motion moral collapse' in large parts of British society.
David Cameron is particularly concerned about the number of children, some as young as 11, who enthusiastically joined in the looting sprees.
He will vow to tackle 'irresponsibility, selfishness, behaving as if your choices have no consequences, schools without discipline, reward without effort and crime without punishment'.
In other key developments yesterday:
- The Home Secretary called for child looters to lose their right to anonymity;
- A peace rally in Birmingham, where three young Muslims died during the unrest, was attended by people of all races and religions;
- Historian David Starkey came under increased criticism over outspoken TV remarks that white youths involved in the riots were imitating black gang culture;
- Coalition rifts intensified over plans to strip looters and their families of benefits and council housing, with senior Liberal Democrats calling it a ‘knee-jerk response’;
- Courts continued to process defendants, including a community award winner and a wife who is sole carer for her disabled husband.
In another shocking example of middle-class children being involved in the riots, the father of a teenage looter said parents were powerless to punish their children because of the nanny state.
Worried: Prime Minister David Cameron is particularly concerned about the number of children, some as young as 11, who enthusiastically joined in the looting sprees, such as this one in Hackney, east London
The ‘heartbroken and ashamed’ cameraman, who has helped make BBC and Channel Four documentaries on policing and justice, said that parents cannot discipline their offspring properly for fear of being reported to police or social services.
Worry: David Cameron is particularly concerned about the number of children, some as young as 11, who enthusiastically joined in the looting sprees
His 16-year-old daughter appeared at City of Westminster magistrates’ court on Saturday charged with stealing a £500 iPad during rampant violence last Monday.
The father of five said: ‘I am heartbroken and totally ashamed that she got caught up in all this.
‘Basically I feel this is the end product of a society that tells you that you can’t discipline your children.
‘They say, “If you hit me, it’s physical assault and if you shout at me, it’s verbal abuse”.
‘These children are a little bit out of control at the moment.’
‘Children now have the power over their parents, not the other way around. There is no respect as their rights are prioritised above parental authority.
‘When I was young, I was given a good clip round the head by my mother if I stepped out of line – now no parent can do that.
‘My daughter could go to jail for this. I hope it’s the wake-up call she needs.’
The 15-year-old boy charged with rape appeared at Camberwell Green magistrates’ court on Saturday morning.
As his sobbing mother watched, the court was told that he approached the 13-year-old girl and a female friend, also 13, last Tuesday as police fought pitched battles with rioters in Woolwich, south-east London.
Appearance: The 15-year-old boy charged with rape appeared at Camberwell Green magistrates' court (pictured here in a file image) on Saturday morning
He demanded their BlackBerry mobile phones, and then asked the schoolgirl: ‘Don’t I get a kiss, then?’
When she refused, he dragged her down an alleyway next to the New Testament Church of God, threw her to the ground, forced her to perform a sex act and sexually assaulted her.
Prosecutor Andrew Chatterton said: ‘The girl was terrified. She was thrown on top of piles of shattered glass and rubbish. She thought he was going to kill her.’
The youth, who was charged with robbery, rape and sexual assault, appeared close to tears during the hearing.
He did not enter a plea and was bailed into the care of Greenwich social services until Friday, when he must appear at Greenwich youth court.
A neighbour said: ‘The family are completely shocked by what has happened and feel very ashamed.
‘The parents are hard-working members of a close-knit community and tried to do the best for their son.
'They were very strict with him – perhaps that’s why he rebelled and fell in with bad company.'
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