Girl, five, is sexually assaulted by her SEVEN-year-old neighbour after she went to collect a ball that had bounced off her terrace in India

 

• Girl's mother said her daughter was 'grabbed by the son' of neighbour's tenant 
• The five-year-old had gone to fetch a ball while she was playing on a terrace
• Boy is currently with his parents but is set to be brought before a juvenile court

A five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a seven-year-old boy when she went to a neighbour's house in India, police say. 

The young girl said she was assaulted when she went to fetch a ball which had flown astray while she played on a terrace. 

The girl's mother reported the alleged attack to police and said her daughter was 'grabbed by the son of the neighbour's tenant', according to the Times of India. 

The boy is currently with his parents, but is set to be brought before a juvenile court to answer the claims. 

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A five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a seven-year-old boy when she went to a neighbour's house in India, it is alleged (stock photo)  

According to Indian law, seven is the minimum age at which a child can be formally accused of a crime. 

However, children under 12 can be exonerated if it is shown that they did not have the 'maturity of understanding' to realise the consequences of their actions. 

The alleged assault took place on October 12 in Aligarh, in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. 

Police have filed an initial report under child protection laws after the girl gave evidence to a child welfare officer.  

The boy has also been subject to a medical examination.  

India has a dire reputation for sexual crimes against women and girls, with more than 145,000 rape cases pending before the courts at the end of 2019. 

While 85 per cent of reported rapes in 2018 led to charges, only 27 per cent led to a conviction, according to government figures.   

The subject has been in a global spotlight since the mass demonstrations that followed the gang rape and murder of a student in New Delhi in 2012. 

The crime attracted international headlines and four of the attackers were executed earlier this year, but high numbers of sex attacks continue.