A YOUTH who sexually assaulted boys as young as 11 at a North-East public school was jailed for two years yesterday.

The 17-year-old preyed on four youngsters, forcing them to take part in degrading sex acts with him, Teesside Crown Court heard.

When detectives raided his home, they found 520 indecent images of children.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was only 15 when he started carrying out the attacks.

The court heard how he asked the children if they were gay, forced one to perform a sexual act on him and attacked an 11-year-old before feeling his groin.

He was a pupil at the fee-paying school, where all the assaults took place on fellow schoolboys aged between 11 and 13.

And he was only caught after an older pupil heard one of his victims discuss the assaults with another boy.

The incident was reported to school staff in October and the police were called.

Child protection officers and social services launched an immediate investigation.

The youth pleaded guilty to six charges of indecent assault and a further offence of indecent assault on a male person between September 2002 and October 2003. Two counts of rape were ordered to remain on file.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said the defendant abused a 13-year-old for more than a year.

He attacked him after a music lesson and dragged the terrified youngster behind the school stage where he ordered him to undress before forcing him to carry out a sex act. On other occasions the defendant would commit sex acts on the child.

In a statement, the victim said: "He kept asking me if I was gay, he kept trying to convince me I was gay.

"It sometimes happened several times a week. I did not tell anyone because it is embarrassing. I was scared. He was very intimidating."

The defendant attacked a 13-year-old boy in September 2002.

He pounced on him in the library and despite the child trying to get away he forced him to touch his genitals. On one occasion he assaulted an 11-year-old in a computer room.

Mr Dodds said: "The defendant offered him cigarettes which the boy thought was to encourage him to do things, constantly asked if he was gay, was hitting him and punching him."

Interviewed by police, the accused said he was unsure of his sexuality and denied using force or coercion.

A Press application to have the defendant named was turned down by Judge Peter Fox, who said the welfare of the youth and others in the school would not be served by naming him.

Robin Denny, mitigating, said that when the offences came to light, it had a catastrophic effect on the boy and his parents.

Mr Denny said: "He has suffered enormously. He would have been shaken to the core when members of the Press described these offences as serious and detestable crimes."

The barrister said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. By admitting the offences, had saved the victims further distress because they would not have to give evidence in court.

He said the boy had been offered a place at another school and a clinical psychologist had said there was still some risk of offending that needed to be addressed.

Judge Fox said the victims had been vulnerable and he had no alternative but to give him a custodial sentence.

The boy was given a detention and training order for two years and ordered to be put on the sex offenders' register for five years