17-year-old boy charged with alleged sexual offences against at least eight nursery children

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with alleged sexual offences, including rape against nursery children at the Jack and Jill Childcare in Torquay, a small seaside town in Devon, England.

Daily Mail reported that the teenager was accused of sexually abusing at least eight children at the school.

The alleged incidents, which include one count of rape against a child and 13 counts of sexual touching against eight children, reportedly took place at the nursery last year.

Police confirmed the accused had also been charged with two counts of historic rape, but those are not linked to the nursery, which closed in January.

The teenager, who cannot legally be named because of being under the age of 18, is due to appear at a local youth court, although no date has been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, Devon and Cornwall police, who published details of the charges, has cautioned the public not to speculate about the teenager’s identity.

“Any alleged victim of a sexual crime is automatically granted anonymity for life, regardless of age and the outcome of any subsequent criminal trial,” a spokesperson for the force said.

“Any suspect under the age of 18 is also by law not allowed to be identified. These rules are not solely for media organisations to adhere to, they also apply to members of the public and include information posted via social media,” he added.

He further explained that “any breach of anonymity may be seen as interfering with a live investigation and an active criminal trial, and therefore could see those who do not adhere found in contempt of court.”

Jack and Jill Childcare stopped operating in November last year. The childcare business had been operating for 15 years.