Four boys accused of raping eight-year-old girl

US POLICE responding to a report of hysterical screams discovered an eight-year-old girl partially clothed and four boys running from an empty shed.

The boys, aged nine to 14, face charges ranging from sexual assault to kidnapping, police said.

Authorities in Phoenix say it is one of the most horrific cases they have ever seen.

All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

Investigators said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16 under the pretence of offering her chewing gum. The boys then held the girl down and took turns raping her, police said.

“She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes,” police Sgt Andy Hill said.

The 14-year-old boy was charged on Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said. He appeared in court yesterday and was being held without bond.

The other boys – ages 9, 10, and 13 – were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10 and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping.

“This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community,” Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. “Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation.”

The outrage over the allegations intensified when police said the girl’s parents blamed her for bringing shame on the family.

“The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn’t want her back. He said ‘Take her, I don’t want her,”’ Sgt Hill said.

Sgt Hill cited the family’s background as the reason. In some parts of Africa, rape victims are blamed for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rape victims are often shunned by their families.