A 14-year-old Iranian boat migrant has been given a rehabilitation order after being convicted of a horrific rape and sexual assault against a girl of the same age.
The court heard the offences took place in Bedfordshire last September after the pair had met through school. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied child earlier that year and was living in foster care.
He was convicted in January and sentenced in March. The court imposed a rehabilitation order rather than custody, citing the principle that detention is a last resort in youth justice cases.
The order requires the teenager to attend specialist programmes focusing on consent, boundaries and victim awareness. He was also made subject to a two-year exclusion order preventing him from entering the area where the offence took place.
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A source close to the family told The Sun on Sunday: “The victim’s family are furious. They’re outraged. This sentence is a total joke.
“There has been no punishment. This isn’t a deterrent at all. The rapist is still free and could just do it again.
“The victim has to carry this for the rest of her life, while he can just go out as if nothing has happened.”
The case has prompted concern among some members of the public and political figures, with debate over sentencing practices in youth courts and the absence of formal sentencing guidelines for certain serious offences involving minors.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp fumed: “This vile attacker should be locked up for his crimes. Custody should be the only punishment for rapists.
“attacks continue to happen under this weak Labour Government who have lost control of our borders.
The only way to fix this is the Conservative Party’s Borders plan — leave the ECHR so we can deport all illegal immigrants and foreign national offenders.
Prosecutors told the court that the victim was overpowered after repeatedly telling the defendant to stop. The teenager later discussed the incident on social media.
Legal experts note that sentencing in youth cases prioritises rehabilitation alongside punishment, though similar cases in the past have resulted in custodial sentences in young offender institutions.
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