Judge hears details of boys' brutal assault

An 11-year-old boy who was brutally attacked by two brothers in a wooded ravine told the nine-year-old with him “you go and I’ll just die here”, a court in Britain heard today.

A judge continued to hear horrifying details today of how the two young boys were subjected to a 90-minute violent ordeal by the two brothers, who were 10 and 11 at the time.

The incident happened in Edlington, South Yorkshire, on April 4 last year.

Today, Nicholas Campbell QC, prosecuting, continued outlining the prosecution case against the brothers.

Mr Campbell described how, after the brothers left the scene, the younger boy knelt next to the other boy and asked him if he was OK.

The elder boy replied: “No. I can’t see and I can’t move my body.”

He went on: “You go and I’ll just die here.”

Yesterday the families of the victims gasped and sobbed as Sheffield Crown Court was shown a mobile phone clip of part of the violence filmed by one of the brothers.

The judge, Mr Justice Keith, heard the victims were strangled, smashed with bricks, forced to eat nettles, stripped and forced to sexually abuse each other.

The elder boy was seriously injured when pieces of a ceramic sink were dropped on his head.

The brothers, who are now aged 11 and 12, have admitted causing their victims grievous bodily harm with intent.

They denied a more serious charge of attempted murder but the prosecution accepted their pleas and said there would be no trial. Both pleaded guilty to robbing one of the boys of a mobile phone and the other of cash.

They admitted two counts of intentionally causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

The brothers also admitted causing another 11-year-old actual bodily harm a week before the young boys were attacked.

Today is the second day of a three-day sentencing exercise which is expected to conclude tomorrow.