Two 12-year-old boys pleaded not guilty yesterday to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in a north-end Halifax park.
Four boys at Fort Needham Park are accused of attacking the girl, who was there with her brother on the afternoon of April 25. The boys allegedly produced a knife during the assault near the Halifax Explosion monument.
The attackers fled when a woman walking her dog came along.
Police say the six children all knew each other.
Two of the alleged attackers, who were only 11, were not charged.
The two 12-year-olds were arrested and released to their parents on May 22. Each faces charges of sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and two counts of uttering threats.
Yesterday, the boys left their mothers’ sides in youth court to make their plea in front of Judge Pam Williams.
They stood with their hands clasped in front of them, fidgeting slightly and starring blankly, as their lawyers entered their not guilty pleas.
One of the boys wore a black velour tracksuit and sneakers. The other wore a Philadelphia Eagles jersey, black jogging pants and sneakers.
