Boy, 4, in video sex act case yet to receive counselling

THE mother of one of two young boys allegedly bullied into performing sex acts on each other by older children has said her son has yet to receive any form of counselling.

The mother said both she and her four-year-old son needed professional counselling after he and a five-year-old boy were allegedly threatened that they would be beaten up if they didn’t do what they were told by two 12-year-old boys.

The incident took place four weeks ago.

It is claimed the older boys then videoed the sex acts on a mobile phone.

The mother said she had reported the incident to gardaí in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, after a neighbour had seen the footage on the mobile phone.

She said she was shocked and at first couldn’t believe such a thing could happen.

“I told my son he did nothing wrong. It was the big boys who were wrong,” she said.

“No mother wants anything like that done to their child. There hasn’t been any help, none at all. I would want counselling for both of us.

“I don’t want him to be affected in the years down the line.”

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told TV3 that she now wouldn’t leave her son out of the house alone.

Specially trained gardaí have already interviewed both him and the five-year-old boy.

Gardaí from Mitchels-town have seized a mobile phone which they suspect was used to take videos. However, the videos had been deleted before the seizure was made.

Garda technical experts in Dublin are trying to retrieve the images.

They are also checking to see if the images were forwarded to other people.

The Health Service Executive has confirmed it is also carrying out its own inquiry into the incident.

Gardaí have yet to interview the alleged perpetrators.

Because of the ages of all those involved, it’s expected it will take a considerable amount of time to conclude the investigation.

Whatever the outcome, the 12-year-old boys cannot be prosecuted in the courts because they are too young.