No jail time for man who raped 13-year-old girl under Scotland's new sentencing guidelines

A Scotland high court has sentenced an 21-year-old man to 270 hours of unpaid work for raping a 13-year-old girl four years ago.

Sean Hogg, 21, will also remain on the sex offender registry for three years and be placed under supervision, the BBC reported. At the time of the incident, Hogg was 17. A jury found him guilty of raping the girl in 2018.

"For this offence, if committed by an adult over 25, you attract a sentence of four or five years," said Judge Lord Lake. "I don't consider that appropriate and don't intend to send you to prison."

The seemingly lenient sentence comes after Scotland implemented revised sentencing guidelines for individuals under the age of 25 last year that aim to prioritize rehabilitation. The Crown Office has indicated it will review the sentence for undue leniency.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.