Sean Hogg walked free from court last month after being on trial for the rape of a 13-year-old girl, with lawyers now hoping 'justice will be done'.
Prosecutors said they are now appealing against the 'unduly lenient' sentence. The beast, now 21, was ordered to perform just 270 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register.
Hogg preyed on his victim on a number of occasions at Dalkeith Country Park in 2018. While he was found guilty he avoided jail time due to being 17-years-old at the time of the attack, reports the Daily Record.
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But the young girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was notified that the Lord Advocate Rt Hon Dorothy Bain KC has asked for the sentence to be appealed.
The victim’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said: “This morning we were advised that the Lord Advocate has decided that the Crown should appeal the sentence imposed upon Sean Hogg convicted of rape, on the grounds that it is ‘unduly lenient’.
“My client is relieved and grateful to the Lord Advocate. It has been nearly a month since Sean Hogg walked free from the High Court ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, after being convicted of rape.
“My client still does not understand why Hogg was allowed to get on with his life when he had ruined her, she wonders how many girls will think there is no point in reporting rape after seeing a rapist walk free.
“Whilst the Police, Prosecution and Jury did its job, she feels that in the end she was failed by our justice system, but today once more she has some hope that justice will be done.”
Deputy Crown Agent for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Kenny Donnelly added: “Sentence is quite rightly the domain of the independent judiciary. However, the law provides for some limited circumstances in which prosecutors have the right to appeal against sentences.
“The Appeal Court has set a high test to be satisfied for this to happen. The sentence must be unduly lenient, which means that it must be outwith the range of sentences which the sentencing Judge, taking account of all relevant factors, could reasonably have imposed.
"The question of Crown appeal against sentence in this case has been carefully considered, and the decision to place this matter before the Appeal Court has been communicated to the complainer through her representative.”
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