Tortured boys 'will need support for years'

THE boys tortured by a pair of young brothers should not have to be victims for the rest of their lives, a mental health expert said today.

The attacks that shocked Britain: Full coverage

As they try to rebuild their lives, the youngsters will need long-term support and therapy to deal with the trauma and return to "normality", according to chartered psychologist Dr Jane McCartney.

She said: "The last thing you would want for these poor two lads is for an incident that happened for an hour-and-a-half to colour the rest of their lives.

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"They are the victims and they don't need to be the victims for the rest of their lives.

"When it comes to trauma there is no formula that says X and Y equals Z but one of the things that research has discovered is that the more social support that a trauma victim can access adds to the amelioration of the trauma.

"But certainly this is going to be something that is going to be with them for some time."

Dr McCartney said it was not possible to predict how long it could take for the boys to recover from their ordeal.

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Creative therapies such as play and art can help children, she said, adding that the youngsters should be allowed to talk about it when they feel they need to but not forced to discuss it all the time.

"I would hope they are pushing the boat out to provide professional, creative support services," the London-based psychologist said.

"It's going to need to be ongoing. It's important that whenever they want to they have access to professionals that can offer support and help them."

The brothers who attacked the two boys were given an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum term of five years.

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The ruling means the pair could be released at the end of their sentence if the Parole Board believes they are no longer a danger to the public - but if experts think they have not reformed they will remain locked up.

The case has provoked widespread criticism of agencies involved with the family in Doncaster and a report published following the sentencing revealed that the attack could have been prevented.

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