JUDGE BREAKS SILENCE ON THE “SCOTS COLLEGE THREE” AS TEENAGE ACCUSED APPEAR WITH THEIR FAMILIES — BUT A STRICT COURT ORDER NOW PUTS THEIR FUTURE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
A judge has warned of the consequences facing the ‘Scots College Three’ accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in an inner-city alleyway as they faced court on Tuesday.
Two of the three Year 8 students turned up in person with their parents at Sydney’s Surry Hills Children’s Court for the hearing.
The youngest of the three boys was accompanied by his father and two adult women, one believed to be his mother.
Apprehended Violence Orders have been taken out by police to protect the alleged victim from the three boys, including a condition prohibiting them from going within 200m of her home.
The 13-year-old boy faces three charges—one count of aggravated sexual assault (offender in company with another) and two of aggravated sexually touching another person.
Looking even younger than his 13 years, he sat inside the courthouse before a short hearing and followed his parents around the building but did not enter the actual courtroom.
One of the two co-accused 14-year-old Scots boys arrived in a Mercedes SUV hire car with his mother before entering the courthouse and sitting at a distance from the younger boy.
He is charged with the same three offences as the youngest of the three accused. The third boy, also aged 14, did not appear at the court on Tuesday.
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The youngest of the three boys was accompanied by his father and two adult women, one believed to be his mother
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One of the two co-accused 14-year-old Scots boys arrived in a hire car with his mother before entering the courthouse and sitting at a distance from the younger boy
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Bail conditions for the three accused boys include that they must not be in one another’s company outside of school hours at the prestigious $54,000-a-year Scots College
His lawyer Kent Park told media that ‘it is not appropriate I make any comment’ about the case.
Judge Sue Duncombe held a brief hearing attended by the three boys’ lawyers before adjourning the case until October 20 and continuing the boys’ bail.
She issued stern warnings to the attending media to keep the identities of the accused schoolboys suppressed.
‘There has already been some activity leading to repercussions on those young people,’ Judge Duncombe said.
Lawyer John Sutton told the court that the comment sections of social media pages had already disclosed the name of his 13-year-old client.
He is also under an extra bail condition.
While all three boys are forbidden from contacting the alleged victim, the 13-year-old must also not assault or threaten her, stalk, harass or intimidate her, or recklessly destroy or damage any property or harm any animal that belongs to her.
The second boy aged 14 is charged with one count each of aggravated sexual assault (offender in company with another) and aggravated sexually touching another person.
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Lawyer John Sutton told the court that the comment sections of social media pages had already disclosed the name of his 13-year-old client
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His lawyer Kent Park told media that ‘it is not appropriate I make any comment’ about the case
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The three accused Scots boys are forbidden from entering Bondi Junction as one of their bail conditions
NSW Police previously confirmed that two replica firearms and a Glock-style BB gun were also seized from one of the accused boys’ homes during their arrests.
The case has plunged the Sydney private school into its gravest scandal of its 133-year history.
As first reported by Inside Mail, Scots College has also engaged the services of a public relations firm that specialises in maintaining the reputations of independent schools to help manage the fallout.
The Daily Mail previously revealed the strict bail conditions imposed on the three after two of the families retained globally-recognised lawyers.
Meanwhile, the families of two of the boys, but not the third, have engaged a prestigious law firm specialising in high-stakes matters to protect the identities of the accused, who police say are one 13-year-old and two aged 14.
Bail conditions for the boys obtained by the Mail show that all three are banned from entering the suburb of Bondi Junction, and cannot associate with each other outside of school hours at Scots, which has fees of up to $54,000 a year.
They have to remain inside their homes between 6pm and 6am and not leave unless in the company of their parents.
They must also ‘not use any social media platform’.
The three accused boys are not required to attend the next court hearing in October if represented by a lawyer.
SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16077113/scots-college-three-court-alleged-rape-14-year-old-girl-sydney.html
