A court heard the siblings grew up in a “dysfunctional, neglectful, and potentially abusive household.”
Content warning: This article contains details of statutory rape, incest and alleged child abuse/neglect.
A 12-year-old girl gave birth to her brother’s baby after she was hospitalised with stomach pains, a Welsh court has heard.
The girl, who was just 11 when she was raped by her 14-year-old brother in their family home, had been rushed to a hospital in Carmarthenshire with severe stomach pains mere hours before giving birth.
According to Wales Online, her brother, now 16, pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape.
Swansea Crown Court heard the siblings grew up in a “dysfunctional” household where the parents created a culture of “secrecy and lies” and where there were “blurred sexual boundaries” which included the boy being exposed to pornography from the age of 10.
Prosecutor Georgina Buckley said it was unclear whether the girl had known she was pregnant or not.
A midwife had asked the girl if she had had sex and the girl said she didn’t know. She was then asked if she had consented, to which she replied she thought so but wasn’t sure.
The girl had told a midwife that she wasn’t aware she was pregnant, though she was overheard telling other people that she was.
The girl’s brother was interviewed by police, to whom he admitted he had been “wrestling” with his sister downstairs one time when their parents weren’t home.
He said they then went upstairs to wrestle more comfortably on the bed, and that they began kissing before proceeding to remove their own clothes and have sex.
The court heard there were no suggestions that coercion or threats had played a part in the incident.
Dean Pulling, for the defendant, said the background of the incident was the “difficult and dysfunctional circumstances” of the household, wherein the children had been subjected to a “dysfunctional, neglectful, and potentially abusive upbringing”.
He said there was little parental control or guidance in the home and that there were “blurred sexual boundaries,” with the defendant having been routinely exposed to pornography since he was 10 years old.
“Children are the products of their upbringing and the environment they are exposed to,” Pulling said, adding that the boy is now in the care of foster parents and is responding well to their positive influence.
He said the boy is remorseful and recommended the court to impose a non-custodial sentence as “custody would achieve little but cost a great deal”.
In a victim impact statement, the girl said just wanted to live the normal life of a 12-year-old girl and that she wanted her baby to have the best life.
In sentencing, Judge Christopher Vosper QC subjected the defendant to a two-year youth referral order with a supervision requirement and an activity requirement.
The teen will also remain a registered sex offender for 30 months.
If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Women’s Aid’s 24 hour helpline on 1800 341 900, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on  1800 77 8888, or Childline on 1800 66 66 66.Â
