London: A 12-year-old boy raped a girl three years younger in Britain after watching hardcore porn on the internet. He said he did it "to feel grown up", a court heard.

His lawyer Sean Templeton told the closed hearing that the boy was copying what he had seen online with unlimited access to explicit sites, The Sun reported.

The lawyer said it was worrisome that youngsters were getting their sex education from porn. He further warned that the boy`s case was the "tip of the iceberg", with similar incidents going unreported. Judge Lady Smith told the boy: "You must not regard pornography as any guide at all as to how to behave sexually." The boy, now 14, admitted rape and sexual assault but was spared a custodial sentence.
IANS