A 15-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to 22 sexual offences, including rape, against eight girls.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was charged with one count of rape, rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration at Northampton Crown Court on Friday.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2023 and 2025, with the victims aged between 10 and 15.
His trial is due to begin at the same court on 25 October 2027 and is expected to last three to four weeks.
He is also charged with 12 counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13.
He also faces two charges of making an indecent image of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child, and one of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
The court heard that some of the sexual assault allegations relate to the defendant touching the girls over and under clothing, including slapping one of them on the bottom.
One of the indecent image charges related to the alleged possession of three category C images of children.
During the hearing, the defendant sat at the back of the courtroom with his mother and responded to the charges from his seat, rather than in the dock.
The boy was granted conditional bail and must not contact the alleged victims or witnesses, must not be alone with girls under 16 without supervision, and must work with the Youth Justice Service.
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