Three Boys Acquitted in Rochdale Rape Trial

Three teenage boys have been acquitted of raping a 13-year-old girl near a tram stop in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, following a two-week trial that concluded with emotional scenes in court. The incident allegedly occurred in February 2024, when the boys were aged 12, 13, and 14, and the verdicts were delivered after nearly 10 hours of jury deliberations at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.

The jury found all three boys not guilty on all counts, including two joint enterprise charges related to the alleged assault. The now 16-year-old and 15-year-old defendants were cleared of specific assault charges, while the third boy, now 14, was determined not to have committed the acts or encouraged the others without the girl's consent. The youngest defendant had been deemed unfit to stand trial due to a diagnosis of ADHD and learning difficulties with traits of autism spectrum disorder. Tears flowed among the boys and their families as the foreperson announced the verdicts, with audible sighs of relief echoing through the courtroom and one voice exclaiming, "Jesus."

Prosecutors alleged that the girl was sexually assaulted off a footpath near the Newbold tram stop after an...