A boy of 12 who raped a nine-year-old girl after watching hard-core pornography online was spared jail as his lawyer warned of a generation of children growing up with a ‘skewed view’ on sex. The schoolboy, who is now 14, told police he had raped the little girl because he wanted to ‘feel grown up’ after watching porn online. In a disturbing case that has raised fresh concerns about the sexualisation of children, the teenager had unrestricted access to the web and was able to freely look at sexually explicit material. He then ‘emulated’ the graphic footage and attacked a neighbour’s daughter, the High Court in Edinburgh heard. His lawyer warned the case was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and many other cases were going unreported. Sean Templeton, defending the boy, said: ‘There is a real risk that young people are growing up with a skewed view of what sex is and sexual activity. ‘This was an emulation of an adult act witnessed by him at this young age. He was afforded unfettered access to the internet and it has become apparent from a very young age, the age of 12, he was accessing hard-core pornography.’ Mr Templeton said it was a great concern that children may be getting their sex education through internet pornography. He warned: ‘This is the tip of the iceberg. Many, many cases throughout the country may not be identified, not reported, not coming to anyone’s attention.’ The shocking case, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, only came to light when the young victim felt ill and told her mother she feared there was ‘a baby in my tummy’. Asked if something had happened to her, she became hysterical before revealing what the boy had done. Police discovered the girl had been sexually assaulted a number of times in a shed in the garden of her home between December 1, 2010 and January 31 2011. The boy, who lived next door, also abused the girl in his bedroom in front of a 12-year-old friend. When he was interviewed by police the boy pointed out the sites he had viewed and when asked why he had copied them, he answered ‘temptation’ and ‘to feel grown up’. He was later placed in a secure unit hundreds of miles away. Earlier this month the teenager stood shaking in the dock as he pleaded guilty to one charge of rape and two of sexual assault. The extraordinary case was heard in a closed courtroom with only relatives of the children and care workers present. Judge Lady Smith said he should be given advice on handling relationships and sexual development rather than face jail. She handed him a four year supervision order to be carried out under the Children’s Panel, which means he will be closely supervised by social workers until the age of 18. She told the boy he was being given an opportunity to ‘make something of yourself’.