A 15-year-old boy has been placed on the sex offenders' register after pleading guilty to sex offences against a 12-year-old girl in west Cumbria.

He was sentenced today after appearing at West Cumbria Magistrates' Court charged with engaging in sexual activity with a girl under 13 and two charges of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences relate to an incident that occurred in April 2016.

He was sentenced to a 12-month referral order, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for five years and placed on the sex offenders' register for five years. His parents also received a parenting order for six months.

Detective inspector Dan St Quintin said: “I want to jolt parents and get a very clear message out. Please ensure you know what your children are doing - talk to your kids about sex.

"A 15-year-old boy having sex with a 12-year-old girl is not acceptable, it is criminal. Children under 16 by law cannot consent to sex.

“The offender has pleaded guilty to some very serious sexual offences.

“His parents were aware of what was going on and deemed it as ‘teenagers doing what teenagers do’. As a result, they have been issued with a parenting order for six months for failing to prevent his behaviour from happening repeatedly."