A DEFENDANT described by a judge as “arrogant and controlling” has been sentenced to unpaid work for the rape of a primary school-aged child.

Drew Stevenson, 22, was convicted in June of sexual assault, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and rape of a child under the age of 13.

He was cleared of three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of rape of a child under the age of 13.

He had denied all the charges.

The jury heard how Stevenson, of London Road, in Sevenoaks, Kent, was 12 or 13 years old when he coerced the boy into performing a sex act on him at a location in Essex between 2014 and 2016.

His victim was between four and five.

When a verdict was delivered after the trial, Her Honour Judge Mary Loram KC told jurors they had been faced with “absolute denial” and “a high degree of arrogance” from Stevenson.

On Friday, the judge made clear she was legally required to sentence Stevenson as a child because he committed the offences when he was under the age of 18.

She added that a caution which Stevenson received for a separate sexual offence one year after the rape suggested his actions “cannot be said to be a one-off”.

Stevenson escaped an immediate prison term because of his age when he raped and sexually assaulted the boy.

The judge said: “I can only sentence to him to what he could have been sentenced to at the time.

“He could have been sentenced by rehabilitation order, but as a grave crime he could have been sentenced to detention which would translate today into custody."

She continued: “I remember him giving evidence and he struck me as a somewhat arrogant and controlling young man.”

Ashley Hendron, mitigating, said Stevenson will have to face up to the fact he now has a criminal record by telling his friends, relatives and employers about his offences.

The judge replied: “What is he doing to tell them?

“He's going to tell them he was wrongly convicted by a jury and he was lied about.”

She continued: “It is an exceptional course to send a 12 or 13-year-old, which is how I have to approach this, to prison.

“Little if anything will be achieved by your incarceration either for you or the public at large."

She went on: “I am not impressed by your attitude in the pre-sentence report.

“You do not have the mitigation of remorse or taking of responsibility. Maybe that is shame – I can only hope so.

“I know passing a community order seems wholly out of kilter given the nature of the offence, but I repeat, I have to sentence you as a 13-year-old.”

Stevenson was sentenced to a three-year community order consisting of 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation requirement days.