A TEENAGER from Trowbridge who carried out a series of sex attacks on his half sister has been put on a supervision order.

The 16-year-old systematically interfered with the youngster when she was just six and seven years old.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court today how the teenager lived with his mother, who had a new partner and a young daughter.

Over a number of months when he was 13 and 14 years old the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, abused the girl.

Mr Shellard said he would simulate sex with the girl.

He said: “He told her not to tell or she would be taken away. She said she was frightened to tell.”

On Saturday, March 1 last year, when the girl was still seven years old, he said she became upset and started to cry telling her parents what had been going on.

He said the mum spoke to her son and he at first denied what his half sister was alleging, but then broke down saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’.

The police were informed and the girl told them how she had been abused by the boy on a regular basis.

The teenager pleaded guilty to six sex attacks on the child.

Ian Lawrie, defending, said his client was now living with foster parents out of the area and was doing very well.

He said psychological reports showed his client had ‘unresolved emotional difficulties’ and was an unhappy young man.

Though he presented physically as a mature young man he said he was mentally very immature lagging ‘about half a decade behind’.

He said the foster placement ends in the summer when he will be helped by the authorities with independent living.

Judge Douglas Field said: “You know what you did was very wrong and you knew at the time that it was wrong.

“The serious features of all this are the age difference between you and the girl and I am pleased to hear that she is able to start putting all of this behind her but clearly it will be a long time before she gets over this.

“She had every right to trust you as her half brother and you broke that trust by behaving in the way laid out in your basis of plea which in any view is serious sexual misconduct.

“You did this to satisfy your own sexual gratification. I am of the view that you present some sort of risk. It is difficult to know where to pitch it, I don’t know if it is high but there is a risk there.”

Her put him on a three-year supervision order and told him to go on a programme for young sex offenders and banned him from working with children for five years.