Teenagers charged with rape in Newark church gardens plead not guilty at Nottingham Crown Court

Three teenagers charged with rape, and one with aiding the offences, today entered pleas before a judge.

Two boys aged 16, one aged 17, and one aged 18, all from the Newark area, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today (April 30).

Their charges relate to an offence on December 28, 2023, at the Newark Parish Church gardens.

One 16 year old faces a single charge of rape, the 17-year-old is accused of two counts of rape, and the 18-year-old two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.

The other 16-year-old faces three counts of aiding or abetting these offences.

All relate to a single female, who was aged 16 or over at the time of the offence.

Not guilty pleas were entered for all counts.

The 18-year-old defendant also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of rape of a women aged 16 or over, relating to an incident on February 18, 2023, which also occurred in Newark.

All four have been released on conditional bail — including an overnight curfew and restrictions on who they may be in contact with — until a pre-trial hearing on August 1 at the same court.

A trial date is yet to be set, but the trial is expected to take three weeks.