Coventry council used Airbnbs to house ‘vulnerable’ teenage boy accused of rape

Judge accuses local authority of a lackadaisical' attitude to the 16-year-old's care after regulated providers refused to give him a place

A teenage boy who has been accused of multiple rapes was housed in Airbnbs by a local authority after regulated accommodation providers said it would be too risky for them to house him.

Airbnbs and other temporary accommodation have been deployed because no secure placement can be found anywhere in England that is prepared to accommodate the child, who self-harms, makes weapons, assaults staff members, damages property and has been taken to hospital after expressing suicidal thoughts. He has been arrested on numerous occasions.