Parents have begun pulling their children out of a Perth primary school after discovering an 11-year-old male student allegedly raped an eight-year-old boy at knife-point at a local park.
The boy, who reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a child, and one count of threatening to kill in December, is due to appear in Perth Children's Court on Tuesday.
Parents whose children attend the same school as the boy say they were not told of his alleged offending until they read about it via social media at the weekend, leading some to temporarily pull their children out of the school, located in Perth's northern suburbs.
The eight-year-old victim attends a different school.
WAtoday understands part of the offending student's bail conditions is to attend school and be supervised during recess and lunch breaks at all times.
However one mother who attended a meeting on Monday morning with other concerned parents told Radio 6PR the boy was not being supervised.
"He's supported to be supervised in the library [at recess and lunch]... one parent told me her son has been playing with him at lunch time for the last three weeks," she claimed.
"We just want the best for our children, we want our children to be safe, and of course this child needs help, he needs to be in the right care and if he is at the school, he needs to be supervised at all times.
"Parents should have the right to know that there is a sex offender among their children."
Some students did not attend the school on Monday as their parents await the outcome of the boy's sentencing tomorrow.
"We're hoping he'll be kept in detention and getting the appropriate help he needs," the mother said.
"Obviously the child needs help, but we don't think that's in the classroom with other children at this stage."
The school and the students involved cannot be identified for legal reasons.
A Department of Education spokesperson told WAtoday the student was being constantly supervised by two staff members while at school.
"The Court sets bail conditions and, in this case, has not restricted the child from attending school," the spokesperson said.
"It is an offence for anyone, including a school, to publish information which could lead to the identification of a child involved in court proceedings.
"WA's School Education Act guarantees the right of every child to an education, irrespective of a range of factors, which may include criminal charges.
"The school is doing everything reasonably possible to ensure the safety of all students."
