Fury as paedo, 21, who raped teen schoolgirl, 13, walks free after judge said he was TOO YOUNG to go to jail
A PAEDOPHILE who raped a 13-year-old schoolgirl has walked free after the judge said he was too young to go to jail.
Sean Hogg, 21, was let off with 270 hours of unpaid work for repeated attacks on the child.
It's a sentence that has quickly been slammed as too "lenient".
The fiend was 17 when he preyed on the schoolgirl at Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian.
Court papers state Hogg, from , threatened her and pulled down her lower clothing.
He also seized her wrists, forced her to carry out a sex act on him and raped her.
Read more on UK news
But sparing him of five years behind bars, Judge Lord Lake told the crying fiend: “Rape is one of the most serious crimes.
“Her age and vulnerabilities are aggravating factors. For the level of seriousness, I have to consider your liability and age as a factor.
“This offence, if committed by an over-25, would attract a sentence of four or five years.
"I don’t consider that appropriate.”
Most read in The Sun
He added: "You are a first offender with no previous history of prison; you are 21 and were 17 at the time.
"Prison does not lead me to believe this will contribute to your rehabilitation."
Hogg was also handed supervision and put on the sex offenders register for three years.
He was previously found guilty of the sex attacks between March and June 2018.
His lawyer Donald Finlay KC told the High Court in Glasgow an appeal was planned.
A charity has now hit out at the sentence, slamming it as “worryingly lenient”.
Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: "This is an extremely serious case and we are shocked this perpetrator has not received a custodial sentence. Given the gravity of this crime and the fact it was tried at the High Court, this sentence appears to us to be worryingly lenient.
“Our thoughts are with the survivor of this crime.
“For survivors of any sexual violence, it can be very difficult to see reports of convicted perpetrators walking free from court.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“The Rape Crisis Scotland helpline is open every night from 5pm to midnight on 08088 010302.”
The Government passed down new sentencing guidelines last year urging a focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment for criminals under 25.