A GWENT school boy who viewed online porn repeatedly raped his little sister for more than a year to copy what he had seen, a court heard.

The 12-year-old boy would look at pornographic images on websites with a friend in school and then go home and try and replicate what he had seen with his younger sister, Newport crown court was told yesterday.

Th boy, of slight build, seated between his mother and father, appeared in court to be sentenced for three charges of raping his younger sister.

At a previous hearing he had pleaded guilty to all charges, following his arrest in March.

Before sentencing, Judge Thomas Crowther QC, said: “It’s a sad fact that many boys of [his] age will have been exposed to adult pornography.

“But not all boys exposed to it will act as [he] did.

“He found pornography online and replicated what he saw.

“Let us remind ourselves that the internet is not a benign babysitter but a mirror of adulthood in all its forms.”

The boy will not be separated from his family and was sentenced to a three year youth rehabilitation order.

He will be a registered sex offender for two and half years.

His younger sister, who was under 10-years-old, confided in a family member that her brother had touched her.

Another family member approached the boy who admitted the accusations. The court heard he had admitted to having urges he could not control and knew what he was doing was wrong.

The abuse had been happening for more than a year.

The majority of the incidents took place at a family member’s house, where the siblings shared a bedroom.

Both parents stood shoulder to shoulder with their son in court, a fact highlighted to the judge by the defence. A letter of reference from the mother was submitted as part of the defence’s case.