JK Rowling has hit out after a man was given no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl. 

Sean Hogg, from Hamilton, sobbed when he was found guilty of rape at Glasgow High Court on Monday.

The 21-year-old pounced on the girl at a park in Dalkeith on various occasions between March and June 2018 when he was 17.

He seized her by the wrists and caused her to carry out a sex act on him, then went on to push her head down and rape her. 

He was ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work and has been placed under supervision and on the sex offenders register after Judge Lord Lake deemed a prison sentence 'inappropriate' due to his age.

In the wake of the case, the Harry Potter author shared her views on the sentence.

She wrote on Twitter: "Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park.

"Young Scottish men are effectively being told ‘first time’s free’."

 

Rape Crisis Scotland has also criticised the decision to hand Hogg a community sentence, feeling it is 'worryingly lenient' for a High Court case.

Its chief executive Sandy Brindley told our sister title The Herald: “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.

“We are very concerned about the message this case sends about how seriously the Scottish justice system takes the crime of rape.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Decisions on sentencing in individual cases are taken by the independent court within the legal framework where they consider all the facts and circumstances, and the Scottish Government does not comment on nor intervene in individual cases.

“Sentencing guidelines are the responsibility of the independent Sentencing Council, the establishment of which was backed by all parties in parliament.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Office said: "As with all cases, the Crown will consider the sentence and give consideration to whether it might be unduly lenient."

The Rape Crisis Scotland helpline is open every night from 5pm to midnight on 08088 010302