At the time, the victim was 13 and the perpetrator 16. Both attended the same school.

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The Lapland District Court has sentenced a 16-year-old man to 22 months in suspended prison after he was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in a school bathroom.

The court also ordered that the defendant perform 60 hours of community service, pay the victim 21,000 euros as compensation, and cover all court costs.

The compensation was awarded to the victim for pain, suffering and mental anguish caused by rape and sexual assault, the court noted.

In its ruling, the court stated that a prison term was not imposed in this case because the defendant is a minor – between the ages of 15 and 17 – and has no prior criminal convictions.

The court said no compelling legal reasons were found to impose a prison sentence.

However, during the trial, the court heard that the perpetrator violently assaulted the victim, including grabbing the child by the neck. The victim also suffered very serious psychological consequences from the attack.

The defendant denied all the allegations.

Attacked during the school day

The attack took place in a bathroom at the Ainiovaara school in the Finnish-Swedish border town of Ylitornio in the middle of the school day last December.

At the time, the victim was 13 and the perpetrator 16, and both were students at the school.

Finland passed a new law on sexual crimes at the beginning of last year, which specifies that sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 constitutes the rape of a child.

The incident came to light when the victim told school staff.

According to Yle’s information, the defendant in the case was of foreign descent and would not be returning to the school. The defendant will also not be publicly identified because he was a minor at the time of the crime.