A COUNCIL has apologised for mistakes which led to an 11-year-old raping a disabled nine-year-old boy.

Sunderland City Council has admitted letting down those left devastated by the child-on-child sex attack.

But, due to the number of staff involved in the "complex" and protracted case, no-one has faced disciplinary action.

The attack took place in June 2009, when the boy lured his victim into a bedroom with the promise of playing Pokemon games.

A Serious Case Review published yesterday found that the mental state of the young rapist, dubbed Child X, was not highlighted in the months before the attack.

It also identified communication errors between agencies involved in his care.

These included failing to act on a child psychologist's warning letters about his behaviour, sent to the council children's services department.

Keith Moore, children's services director at the council, added: "We would like to offer a full apology for the mistakes made at the time.

"We hold our hands up. There are clearly lessons here for us to learn.

"We recognise and regret the impact the events covered by the Serious Case Review on all those involved."

Born abroad, Child X lost his biological father at an early age, shot dead in a suspected drugs feud, in 2002.

He had arrived in London a year before his father's death, four months after his mother first settled in the UK.

Health experts raised concerns over his well-being while he lived with her in the capital, where he witnessed acts of domestic violence.

In 2003 they were moved to Sunderland, where professionals' fears escalated.

Teachers expressed concern over Child X's inappropriate remarks, often of a sexual nature.

The rape took place while he awaited trial accused of sexually assaulting girls aged ten and 11, charges which were later dropped.

But, he admitted the rape, and was sent to a detention centre for four-and-a-half years in November 2009.

Consultant child psychiatrist Dr Stephen Westgarth, of Sunderland Royal Hospital, twice sent letters to the department urging them to take action weeks before the attack.

Sentencing Child X, Judge Beatrice Bolton said if the warnings had been heeded, the rape may have been avoided.

The council said yesterday no disciplinary action has been issued to staff involved with the youngster.

Meg Boustead, the council's head of safeguarding, said: "Given the length of time and number of staff involved with the individual, and the complexity of the case, there was not one person who could be held solely culpable."

Jan van Wagtendonk, independent chairman of Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board, said the findings of the report have been taken on board.

"We accept the findings and the many recommendations it makes, all of which have been followed."

The report said systematic failings in communication and sharing information between 21 agencies involved to the system failing to protect Child X.

It added that serious lessons are to be learned and changes to be made to ensure similar mistakes are repeated.

City council leader, councillor Paul Watson, said: "We've listened and learned from what went wrong and put in place a series of measures, including extra training, resources and investment to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

The council has seen a 90 per cent rise in cases referred to its Children's Services department as a result of the Baby P case, where a 17-month-old died in London in 2007.