55-year rape sentence shocks legal experts

A 55-YEAR prison sentence handed down to the ringleader of a gang of young Lebanese men who raped four women in western Sydney has shocked lawyers.

Legal experts say they are astonished at the length of time the 20-year-old rapist, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years, will spend behind bars.

"The sentence is as shocking as the crime," said University of Sydney criminologist Professor Mark Findlay.