Teenagers in court over park rape

Five teenage boys have appeared in court accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a park in Greater Manchester.

The teenager was attacked in Queen's Park, close to Bolton town centre, in the early hours of Thursday.

The five boys, all aged between 13 and 17, were arrested on Friday and appeared in two sittings at Bolton Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

Three of the boys - aged 13, 16 and 17 - were remanded in custody and two 16-year-olds were released on bail.

In the first sitting, two 16-year-olds spoke only to confirm their names and give their dates of birth.

Bail refused

They were released on bail on the condition that they are electronically tagged to ensure a home curfew of 1900 BST to 0700 BST.

The court heard that the pair are not allowed to enter Bolton town centre, contact the victim or witnesses, or use computers - except for educational reasons.

The three other accused boys were then led into the dock and also spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth.

Bail applications were made but they were placed on remand.

All five will appear at Bolton Youth Court on Wednesday.