A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl was subjected to a sexual ordeal at the hands of two boys as she walked home from school, a court was told.

Magistrates were told that the girl's brother was punched and told he would be stabbed if he interfered as the boys, aged 11 and 10, led his terrified sister away.

The attack happened as the girl and her brother were walking home across Bailey's Fields, near the Two Gates estate in Darwen, on March 23.

It has prompted concern from local councillors and national charity ChildLine, which called for young sex offenders as well as their victims to be helped.

The 11-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to indecent assault. He was made subject to a referral order for 10 months and ordered to pay £250 compensation to his victim.

He will be put on the sex offenders register for three and a half years. The case against the 10-year-old boy was adjourned.

Eddie Harrison, prosecuting, said the girl was ordered her to bare her chest and take off some of her other clothes.

"Both boys in turn then simulated sex with her for a few seconds, said Mr Harrison. He said the boys made the girl perform a sex act on them but ran off when a relative of the girl came onto the fields looking for her.

He added: "This young girl was extremely frightened throughout the incident."

Stephen Parker, defending, said the boy had no previous involvement with the courts and that he deserved credit for his early guilty plea which avoided the necessity for a very young victim having to give evidence.

"I have spoken to try and find out what, if anything, has put the idea into his head," said Mr Parker.

"I asked whether he had got hold of adult pornography or whether other boys had put him up to it but he said no.

"There is effectively no explanation as to why an 11-year-old of previous good character has behaved in this manner. I have told him that if he was an adult or an older youth with previous convictions there would only have been one sentence the court could impose and that would have been custody."

Darwen councillor Paul Browne said if the law was inadequate to deal with the offence it should be changed. He also slammed sex scenes in the TV soaps which he said went "well over the top."

Coun Kevin Connor, who represents the Marsh House ward in Darwen, said: "It's disturbing, and it does worry me that children of this age should be doing things like that."

John Wheeler, special projects manager at ChildLine, said: "ChildLine believes that children who sexually harm other children do so for many reasons, often because they have suffered or witnessed abuse themselves.

"As well as protecting children from sexual harm, the children responsible for the harm need to be helped, particularly in the investigation and prosecution processes.

"They need treatment and support to stop their abusive behaviour."