Twelve children apprehended for sexual assault over year

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A five-year-old child and two six-year-olds were among the 12 children apprehended by police for sexual assault in the 2008/09 financial year.

In total, police reprimanded 716 children for a range of offences during the year, the New Zealand Herald reported after receiving figures through an Official Information Act request.

Police would release no details of the sexual assaults to the paper, citing privacy issues.

The youngest of the juveniles caught in 2008/09 included a four-year-old girl, two five-year-old girls and five five-year-old boys, for dishonesty offences such as shoplifting, burglary or theft of property valued under $500.

Other children shook hands with the long arm of the law for stealing a bicycle, cannabis possession, threatening to kill and possession of a weapon.

The numbers, though higher than the year before, were about half of those from a decade ago.

Police youth services national manager Superintendent Bill Harrison told the paper of the children caught by police, 333 were warned or cautioned, with 286 referred to the police's youth aid section.

- NZPA