A 14-year-old boy from Sussex appeared before magistrates on Saturday accused of raping an eight-year-old girl.
The court in Chelmsford, Essex, remanded the youth - who cannot be named for legal reasons - into secure local authority accommodation.
The boy, who comes from Worthing, will appear before a youth court at Harwich, Essex, on September 4.
The girl was allegedly attacked while playing on grassland by a lake near her home in Colchester, Essex, on August 18.
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