Goldsmith 'happy to meet family'

Lord Goldsmith said the abused girl and her family had suffered

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith says he would be happy to meet the family of a three-year-old girl abused by the man at the centre of a sentencing row.

The family hit out after Lord Goldsmith said Craig Sweeney's sentence was not "unduly lenient" and he would not refer it to the appeal court.

He said he would welcome the chance to talk to the girl's mother face-to-face.

A debate was sparked when Sweeney was sentenced to life but told he could apply for parole after five years.

Lord Goldsmith said of the girl's mother: "She says she does want to have a meeting and I am very happy to do that.

"I would welcome being able to talk to her face-to-face about this.

"They are the ones that suffered - the little girl and her family - and we have to keep that in the forefront of our minds."

Re-examine sentence

Following the attorney general's decision on the sentence on Monday, the mother said she felt "gut-wrenchingly sick".

Lord Goldsmith said the question of whether to release Sweeney would now rest with the Parole Board and as a result the paedophile may never be released.

He said on Monday that the sentencing judge had acted within existing sentencing guidance and law, adding: "Given his past history, Sweeney may never be released."

Home Secretary John Reid had asked Lord Goldsmith to re-examine the "unduly lenient" sentence.

The original sentence, handed down at Cardiff Crown Court, caused friction between the government and the judiciary.

Sweeney had snatched the girl from her home in Cardiff and took her to his flat in Newport where she was sexually assaulted.