Mother's anger at sex attack sentence

The mother of a 13-year-old girl, whose father was jailed for an attack on the man who sexually assaulted her, has spoken of their trauma.

The Coleraine father was jailed, with another man, for six years on Monday for beating up 75-year-old Frederick Gerard Hunter, a former resident of a nursing home in County Antrim.

Hunter was given two years probation and ordered to have treatment after he pleaded guilty to indecent assaulting the girl.

Her mother told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme on Thursday her daughter was withdrawn and would not talk about what had happened to her.

I think any parent in their right mind would do what he did, I daresay if I got my hands on him...

Mother of abused child

"She has gone downhill, she's not the same, she's just all messed up," she said as she began to cry.

And she revealed the teenager blamed herself for her father having to go to jail.

"I think any parent in their right mind would do what he did, I don't disagree with what he did because I daresay if I got my hands on him..."

But she admitted she wished her daughter still had her father with her, and she spoke out against his sentence.

"I think it was a bit steep to tell you the truth," she said.

"The man Hunter he got off and he did worse, she is only 13."

Hunter has been placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.

He was attacked by the girl's father and another man in September 1999.

He suffered fractures to the skull, face, arms and legs in the attack.

The Rape Crisis Centre has criticised the disparity in the sentences for showing a difference in approach to sex offenders and their victims.

Provocation

The judge who heard the father's case said he noted that the man had been acting under provocation.

But he said his actions could not be countenanced in a society governed by law.

His co-accused, who was told he should have acted as a restraining influence, was jailed for six and half years with 18 months probation.

His wife and mother of their four children said the next few years would be very tough for all of them.

"To tell you the truth, Mr Hunter's got off very light," she said, "but it's just terrible the sentences they've got."