Teenage boys accused of Ballymena sex assault appear before court again

Two 14-year-old boys charged with the attempted rape of a girl in Ballymena have appeared before a judge again.

The boys have been charged in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the Clonavon Terrace area of the Co Antrim town last month.

The incident sparked days of race-related anti-immigration rioting in Ballymena, with linked sporadic outbreaks of violence in other parts of Northern Ireland.

The case was mentioned at a youth court sitting in Ballymena on Wednesday morning.

The two teenagers, who interacted with court through a Romanian interpreter, appeared together via video-link from a juvenile justice centre.

They were originally remanded into custody at their first court appearance two days after the alleged attack in June.

During Wednesday’s brief hearing before district judge Nigel Broderick a prosecution lawyer said a file on the case was still being prepared.

The prosecutor said she would confirm to the court at the next sitting whether an achieving best evidence (ABE) interview had been completed with the alleged victim.

Both boys are accused of attempting to orally rape the girl.

At their first court appearance last month, a judge was told both accused denied the alleged offence during interview with police.

The teenagers spoke briefly during Wednesday’s hearing to confirm they understood what was being discussed in court.

The boys were further remanded in custody as the case was listed again for a further review hearing on July 16.

Legal representatives for both accused did not raise any objections to their further remand into custody.