Overview
- The jury returned not guilty verdicts on all counts after about nine hours and forty-six minutes of deliberation.
- The defendants, now aged 14, 15 and 16, had denied charges arising from an encounter near Newbold tram stop in Rochdale in February 2024.
- Prosecutors alleged the boys took turns during a non-consensual assault and said part of the incident was recorded and later shared.
- The two older youths were acquitted of three rape charges as well as two joint-enterprise counts following a two-week trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.
- A third boy, previously ruled unfit to stand trial due to ADHD and a learning difficulty with ASD traits, was found not to have committed or encouraged the acts.