'Paedophile's sentence too lenient'

The Government's top law officer has appealed against a three-year sentence given to a paedophile, saying it is too lenient.

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC has asked the Court of Appeal to consider the case of electronics engineer Michael Wheeler, 36, from Cambridge, who was jailed last month after admitting having sex with children.

Wheeler had groomed 13-year-old girls for sex through Internet chatrooms.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney General said: "The Attorney has referred the case to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that he believes the sentence may be unduly lenient."

Electronic engineer Wheeler admitted 11 sex offences.

He had sex with the two girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after making contact with them through an Internet chatroom.

Detectives think he exploited the current law on sentencing by waiting until the girls turned 13 before having sex with them to avoid being jailed for life if caught.

Wheeler will serve half the sentence if he behaves well and, because he has already been in custody for seven months, is likely to be free within a year.

The maximum sentence for unlawful sex with a girl of 13 is two years' imprisonment.

Legislation due to come into force in the autumn would give judges greater power when dealing with offenders like Wheeler and introduce a specific crime relating to the "grooming" of children on the Internet.

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