Lenient sentences deter sex attack reporting

Lenient sentences are putting victims off reporting sex crimes and are sending out the wrong messages, the Rape Crisis Network has warned.

As public anger grows after another sex attacker walked free from court after he was ordered to pay €15,000 for assaulting a teenager, campaign groups have said sentences must fit the crime.

Graham Griffiths, aged 29, from Co Louth, walked free from Dublin Circuit Criminal on Wednesday after admitting to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. He pushed her against railings and dragged her to the ground.