A 13-year old British boy told police he raped his eight-year old sister because of pornography he saw on his friend’s Xbox.
The teen, from Blackburn, England, pleaded guilty in court to indecently assaulting his sister and inciting her to perform a sexual act on him, the Lancashire Telegraph reports. He told police he had seen porn on Xbox and wanted to “try it out,” and selected his sister because she was younger and “couldn’t remember stuff.” He is free on bail and living with family while he awaits sentencing.
Detective Inspector Claire Holbrook called the incident “one of those tragic sexual experimentation cases” and said “the family is now being supported and the child is recovering well.”
The case has reignited debate over how easily children can access pornography and the detrimental effect of early exposure. Blackburn MP Jack Straw said the crime “underlines how porn is too readily available to juveniles,” the Telegraph reports.
“I hope that the Internet service providers recognize that they have greater responsibilities for controlling access to porn,” he added.
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Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com