'I SAID HIS NAME AND MY SON BROKE DOWN IN TEARS': TEEN RAPED FOUR PRIMARY SCHOOL BOYS FOR MONTHS

I SAID his name and my son broke down in tears," Kate tells us, struggling to hold back her own.

- LUCY JOHN

"He turned to me and said: 'You know what he did to me?'

"And that's how it all came out."

She is recalling the moment her little boy aged younger than 10 disclosed how he had been raped and sexually abused over the course of more than a year.

The rapist was a 13-year-old boy.

Kate's son is one of four boys, all around the same age, who were raped by the same teenage boy.

We've changed all the names in this article to protect their identities.

The rapist also has a legal right to anonymity because of his age.

The mother of one of the other victims, whom we are calling Sally, said: "They have been robbed of their innocence."

The rapist was brought to justice and convicted in court of raping the four primary school boys.

However, it took 22 months for the families to get their day in court.

And, when they did, the rapist was allowed straight back out onto the streets because of his age.

The decision has left the parents baffled and outraged that their little boys' perpetrator did not get a jail sentence, while the young victims continue to suffer the trauma of his abuse.

When Wales on Sunday asked the judiciary to explain this decision, they refused to comment.

The Crown Prosecution Service would only say that Youth Court convictions in the UK cannot be appealed.

The case has highlighted further shocking problems within the country's youth justice system which are seldom reported on, including long delays and a lack of support for child victims.

Kate and Sally say these issues have caused their children further and unnecessary suffering.

They hope sharing their nightmare experience will help raise awareness of child sexual abuse and the challenges facing youth justice.

But most of all, they are calling for change.

Sally said: "Child victims need more support and parents need to be offered courses to teach them what to say to their children.