The judge in the case has said that the conviction of two British boys ages 10 and 11 of attempted rape raises questions about the legal system's treatment of children.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that a jury had found the two not guilty of rape an 8-year-old girl but returned a guilty verdict on attempted rape in the October 2009 assault in west London, making them the youngest defendants ever convicted of the charge.

The newspaper also said that the boys had denied all charges.

The judge in the case, Justice Adrian Dudley Saunders, questioned the use of child witnesses when the girl changed her evidence while testifying and said she had not actually been raped.

Saunders said, "I don't think anyone who has sat through this trial would think for a moment that the system that we employ is ideal."

Research shows many children don't understand questions they are asked under cross-examination, Barbara Esam, a lawyer for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said.

She said, "Sadly, we still have a way to go, to make sure courts work in the best way for children, both defendants and witnesses, who will be frightened and need support all the way through the judicial process if they are going to give their best evidence."