A 27-year-old Suffolk man who had sex with two children when he was 11 has been given a community order.

Gregory Mackenden had played a kissing game with the boy and the girl and had later gone on to have sex with them, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

He had told both children not to tell anyone about what he’d done and the offences didn’t come to light until 2016 when one of the victims came forward.

Gregory Mackenden, of The Daubentons, Bury St Edmunds, admitted two offences of sexual activity with a child between 2005 and 2008.

In addition to the two year community order, he was ordered to attend a sex offenders’ programme and a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Sentencing him, Judge David Pugh said he was effectively sentencing Mackenden as an 11-year-old boy and didn’t want the victim who was at the sentencing hearing to go away thinking that what happened to her wasn’t being taken seriously.

“The offending was serious but the restrictions placed on the court in terms of sentence mean that there is a real risk and likelihood of the victims feeling their suffering hasn’t been properly recognised.

“I want to make it clear that I do recognise the significant effect this offending behaviour has had,” said the judge.

He said Mackenden hadn’t committed any sexual offences since the offences when he was 11 and wasn’t viewed by the probation service as being at risk of reoffending.

In an impact statement read to the court, one of the victims blamed Mackenden for her losing part of her childhood and said she had been “mentally destroyed” by what he did to her.

Joanne Eley, for Mackenden, said he had a chaotic and dysfunctional childhood and had told a probation officer that he was “deeply ashamed” of his behaviour and realised that nothing he could do would heal the pain he’d caused.

She said he had worked at Pizza Hut and Sainsbury's but was currently not working because he was suffering from the symptoms of long Covid.