Owen Wilson, now 18, broke down in tears at Newcastle Crown Court as he was spared jail for raping a 12-year-old girl he met in a park. Judge Penny Moreland handed him a two-year suspended sentence, along with 250 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation activity. Wilson, who has no prior convictions, was also issued a 10-year restraining order and placed on the sex offenders register for a decade.
Details of the Offence
The court heard that Wilson, then aged 15, was drinking with friends in a park in South Shields during the school summer holidays in August 2023. During the afternoon, his group started chatting to some younger girls who were also in the park, including the victim. The young girl was given alcohol by the older group, and as the day wore on, she found herself alone with Wilson, who raped her.
Aftermath and Legal Proceedings
The following day, the victim confided in a friend that Wilson had raped her. She subsequently informed a family member, who alerted the police. When questioned by officers, Wilson gave "no comment" responses but later admitted to rape at a plea and trial preparation hearing.
In sentencing Wilson, of Grace Court, South Shields, Judge Moreland stated that she had to impose the sentence that would likely have been given at the time of the offence, when Wilson was 15, meaning he could evade custody.
Comparison with Other Cases
The case follows a recent ruling where two 15-year-old boys who initially avoided custody for the rape of two girls in Fordingbridge were handed four years' detention after the Court of Appeal deemed their sentences "unduly lenient." The boys, referred to as X and Y, along with another 14-year-old known as Z, were given non-custodial sentences in May for a total of 10 counts of rape and seven indecent image offences related to two victims, who were separately assaulted in Hampshire in November 2024 and January 2025. The two older lads participated in both attacks, while the 14-year-old egged on the rape of the second victim. They were given non-custodial sentences after a judge at Southampton Crown Court stated he should "avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily" and that detention was a "last resort." The Attorney General referred the sentences to the Court of Appeal as "unduly lenient" just days later.
