How on earth can this prison sentence be so lenient?

[ThisIsStartingToBoreMe]

How on earth has this man only been sentenced to 10 years for this dreadful rape?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59523681

I remember reading about it at the time, thinking nothing could shock me after this.

''Sutherland pleaded guilty to abuse of a vulnerable adult''
Did they charge him with rape? It sounds like he had a plea deal.

No they didn't charge him with rape - I don't understand why the prosecution would even accept a plea deal - the DNA clearly states him as the father and the mother is unable to give consent - surely thats an open and shut case for rape?

Wonder how long he'd been doing that for .

I had a quick google for the law in Arizona and the penalty for rape is from 7 years to a life sentence. I can't see any obvious reason why he wasn't charged with rape. I'm really shocked by that and the apparently lenient sentence, this case was so bad it made international news.

I wonder if that was the only rape he committed

People like him are incredibly dangerous.

In NI we get fewer than 20 rape convictions per year. This is being kind to the numbers - year, on year, on year.
It is my strong sense that you need to be really really really trying hard to actually be convicted of rape

I do not believe it is viewed as a crime as it should
I would never suggest a family member get involved in a police and court process knowing how many are discarded by police, then the PPS prior to even deciding to plead them down for guaranteed something

This is a shocking case but each rape is shocking and no one cares