the hippo wrote:
the law says its not illegal for a girl under 16 to have sex but it IS illegal for someone to have sex with a girl under 16
therefore the boy broke the law but the girl didn't

so who would a girl under 16 be able to have sex with?! only another girl, legally. And why are girls treated differently?
I think the law needs changing. Rape sounds like a harsh charge if the act was consensual but then the girl was only 11 so it could be argued that she was taken advantage of.
The consent ages also need looking at. Is it bad for a 17 year old male to have sex with a 15 year old girl? Perhaps the law should be changed to allow under 18-year olds. In Germany intercourse is legal from the age of 14 provided both partners are aged under 18 (or 21 in some circumstances) according to AIDS charity
AVERT. And looking at the age of consent in most of our European neighbours the UK has one of the highest. In Spain it's 13!

. Yet the UK still has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe.