Mum whose daughter’s alleged teenage rapist not prosecuted to meet officials to ask why

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mum whose daughter’s alleged teenage rapist was not prosecuted in court is to meet Crown officials.She wrote to Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC last month calling for a change in the rules which see offenders aged between 12 and 15 only being prosecuted in court on her specific instructions.The mum, identified only as Julie, launched a petition which has gathered more than 500 signatures demanding answers over why her daughter’s attacker was able to evade justice.Julie said: “I want Dorothy Bain to initiate an immediate review of every rape and sexual assault case involving children under 16 who have been charged to face trial.

I now plan to meet with those who worked on the case and ask why he was allowed to get away without even a slap on the wrists.”We previously told how the mum was devastated after a 15-year-old boy didn’t face court charges over allegations he raped her daughter, Maya, in her bedroom when she was just 14 between December 2019 and January 2020.

His case was dealt with by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) in agreement with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) due to his age.

The boy was instead referred for therapy and went on to join the Army.Julie, 53, from Ayrshire, said: “I watched my beautiful daughter’s life go into a downward spiral and her attacker never faced justice in court.“Rape is not a child’s crime and when someone is charged with a crime as serious as rape, they should face trial regardless of their age.“Victims have a lifetime sentence, while some attackers under 16 are left with no criminal record.”In July, the Lord Advocate announced a review of the rules for under-18s in sexual offences after we highlighted two horror cases involving girls