Rape verdict - Sentencing sends wrong message

THE public can be forgiven for comparing judicial sentencing for rape in this country to a lottery.

Despite the heinous nature of this outrageous crime against women, the perceived leniency of sentences in certain cases invariably leaves the victims in shock, causes frustration among those at the coal-face of this crisis, and results in confusion and anger for the man and woman in the street.

In the latest controversy, the suspended three year sentence, meted out on Monday in the Central Criminal Court by Mr Justice Paul Carney to a man who had raped a mother of three in her home, has led to widespread public anger and confusion.