POLICE have investigated almost 500 charges of rape by children and teenagers in the past five years, it was revealed today.

Nineteen of the 490 rapes in Scotland were reportedly committed by children aged between eight and 10.

BBC documentary The Dark Side of Teenage Sex, also reported that in Grampian last year a four-year-old was suspected of indecent assault.

The figures were obtained under Freedom of Information legislation.

During the documentary Frank Dewar, the father of the victim of one of Scotland's most infamous teenage sex offenders is interviewed.

His 16-year-old daughter Karen was killed by 17-year-old Colyn Evans who dumped her body in a wheelie bin in 2005.

The documentary reports that Evans, who had been released from care and placed in a flat in Tayport, was known to the police and was considered a high risk sex offender.

Mr Dewar said he believes all people named on the sex offenders list should be made public. He said: "What's the difference between a 25-year-old sex offender and a 15-year-old sex offender? I don't see any difference.

"A sex offence is a sex offence. What about the victims? No-one takes them into account."

However he said that the he believes the authorities failed Evans who was meant to have received treatment to try to stop him re-offending. He said: "The system let Colyn Evans down too. Evans was never given any treatment."

The documentary also has an interview with a teenage sex offender, who was convicted of two counts of rape, for offences he committed at 11 and 14.

He said he did not realise the impact of his behaviour on his victim, a much younger girl, until he was an adult. He also describes how he was a victim as a young child.

The revelations come six weeks before a scheme to release the details of ex-offenders is tested in Tayside.

Under the new rules, parents and guardians who are worried about someone their child has unsupervised access to, will be able to ask if they are a sex offender.

lThe Dark Side of Teenage Sex is on BBC Scotland at 10.35pm tonight.