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ABC apology over error in Nauru story, doctor stands by story.

ABC acknowledges it got the age of a child victim wrong, but a doctor stands by her original allegations.

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7:30 host Leigh Sales last night issued an apology on behalf of the programme after it had referred to an ABC Online story last week which contained errors.

ABC last week alleged a 5 year old child had been raped on Nauru.

“Today the head of the Department of Immigration denied that incident had occurred,” she told viewers.

“Last weel Dr. Karen Zwi spoke to the ABC about 2 cases. One was an older child the doctor said had been raped, the other was a 5 year old she said had been sexually assaulted.

7:30 incorrectly reported that the 5 year old was the rape victim. We apologise for the error and Dr. Zwi stands by her original allegations.”

The ABC has also said it wrongly referred to the incident as a rape instead of an alleged rape.

Immigration Department officials yesterday told a Senate estimates committee the alleged victim was actually over 10 years of age and the child suffered “skin-to-skin” contact with another detainee child on the island.