A “wicked” teenager who tricked a 16-year-old girl into going to his home and then raped her has been sentenced to four years youth custody.

Luke Eberhard was told by a judge that if he was an adult he would have been facing six to seven years behind bars.

Eberhard, of Barden Road, Tonbridge, denied rape but was convicted by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was 17 when he took the “naive” victim, who was a virgin, to his house in September 2011.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said Eberhard, now 19, had befriended the under-confident girl, tricked her into going to his family home “and heartlessly raped her”.

It was some time afterwards, following a traumatic experience, that she told her mother what had happened.

Eberhard said in evidence he did not want a solicitor when he was arrested because he had not done anything wrong.

“I understood it was a serious allegation,” he said. “I said I had sex with her three or four times, how could it be rape? She was on top. I would not be able to force her down if she was on top.”

“The victim was vulnerable. In every respect this was a wicked offence" - Judge Charles Macdonald

Asked if he forced her to have sex, he replied: “No, I never.”

He agreed he was angry when arrested. He denied holding the girl firmly by her arms and causing bruising.

“If she did not want to have sex, I would not have sex with her,” he said.

He denied sending her a text afterwards saying: “Sorry, pushed you too far.”

Judge Macdonald said Eberhard had a history of being violent in his home but had refused medication.

He had decided, he continued, not to impose an extended sentence on Eberhard.

“The inevitable custodial sentence will be determinate,” said Judge Macdonald. “The victim was vulnerable. In every respect this was a wicked offence.”