Thursday, February 12, 2009

3 black men who raped a teenager and then threw caustic soda on her are to have their jail terms reviewed after claims the sentences were too lenient

The girl, with a mental age of eight, was repeatedly raped in a flat in Tottenham, north London. Rogel McMorris, 18, from Tottenham, was jailed for nine years. Jason Brew, 19, from Tottenham, and Hector Muaimba, 20, from Walthamstow, east London, were jailed for six years each for rape. Disability charities said the sentences were unduly lenient and sent out the "wrong message". The cases of the three men have been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland. "It will now be for the Court of Appeal, at a future hearing, to review the sentences to determine whether they are unduly lenient," said her spokesman. "If the Court of Appeal decides that the sentences are unduly lenient they have the power to increase the length of the sentences." The girl, who has learning difficulties, was in a coma following the attack. She has been left with burns to more than 50% of her body and is undergoing treatment, including surgery and skin grafts. Her relatives said the hopelessness of the case had been "too difficult to bear".

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