A 16-year-old boy tried to rape a 91-year-old woman after breaking into her home in the middle of the night, a court heard.
The teenager is alleged to have smashed his way into the single storey home in Adelaide, Australia, around midnight last Thursday.
He found the elderly lady asleep in bed and then forced himself on her, Adelaide Youth Court was told.
He fled through a broken window and left a trail of blood behind him when the woman woke up and started screaming, it was alleged.
The teenager was arrested on Saturday afternoon by Special Crime Investigation detectives.
He has been charged with aggravated serious criminal trespass and assault with intent to rape.
The court heard the victim, from the city’s Edwardstown suburb, is now living in fear with family members after the attack.
The teenager can’t be named for legal reasons because of his age but the judge also banned the media from the hearing, according to Australian news outlet Seven News.
His lawyer asked the magistrate to prohibit key details of the case being revealed which would cause undue embarrassment to the accused’s family.
Friends and relatives of the teenager left the court with their faces obscured and refusing to talk to the media.
A bid for the teen to be freed to return to live with his family in a small South Australian country town was blocked by the court because of the seriousness of the charges.
Court documents revealed the teenager has a history of trespass offences.
He was remanded in custody and is due back in court in two weeks.
mtro
