A victim rights group has slammed a sentence handed down to a Northland man for raping a 3-year-old girl and giving her a sexually-transmitted disease.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was sentenced to nine years and nine months' jail and given a
minimum non-parole period of five years earlier this month for the methamphetamine-fuelled offending.
His abuse only came to light after a doctor confirmed the child had contracted a sexually transmitted disease. The man had been invited to stay in the girl's home but repaid the family's kindness by raping her, Judge Duncan Harvey said.
But Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Scott Guthrie said such a weak sentence handed down for a heinous crime made an "absolute mockery" of the judicial system.
"The question must be asked as to why any offender is entitled to a 25 per cent sentence discount for an early guilty plea. We are fed up to the back teeth with the softly softly approach.
