Description
A man who raped a 13-year-old girl, who he befriended in an internet chat room she had joined because she was being bullied at school, had his jail sentence doubled after an appeal.
Lawrence Fernandes, 35, formerly from Southampton, was handed a six-year sentence for two counts of rape and two indecency offences relating to events in 2003.
But three judges at the Court of Appeal in London agreed with Solicitor General Robert Buckland that the term given out by Exeter Crown Court in August was "unduly lenient" and extended it to 12 years.
The judges heard how Fernandes, who was in his 20s at the time, had given the girl numerous gifts, including underwear, money, and a teddy bear with a voice recording of him telling her he loved her.
Mr Buckland told the appeal judges that the victim met Fernandes though an online chat room she had joined because she was "being bullied at school and felt lonely".
She made a complaint to police in 2013 after watching a television programme about rape, the court heard.
When interviewed, Fernandes denied there had been any sexual activity and claimed the girl told him she was 16.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Buckland said:
Lawrence Fernandes groomed his victim online and when they arranged to meet, he forcibly raped her. He showered her with gifts and money, tricking her into thinking they were in a relationship, but she was a child and was vulnerable. I asked the Court of Appeal to look again at his six-year sentence as his behaviour had a significant impact on his child victim and I hope that today has offered her a degree of comfort knowing that her attacker's sentence is now 12 years.
Solicitor General, Robert Buckland