As a professional who has dedicated over a decade of my life to working with vulnerable individuals, I am deeply shocked and saddened by a recent ruling from Judge Michael Stokes of Nottingham Crown Court. His decision to let an adult perpetrator off without a prison sentence, citing religious education, has sent shockwaves throughout our community, bringing into question the value we place on the safety of our young people, specifically girls.

The court dismissed the offender, Rashid, who had been charged with raping a 13-year-old girl, justifying this on the basis of Rashid's Islamic education background in Britain where he claimed he was taught that women have no more worth than a lollipop. Undeniably, this judgment is deeply flawed, unjust, and reflects unduly lenient sentencing. It validates harmful stereotypes, neglects the survivor's trauma and casts doubt on the effectiveness of our justice system.

Unfortunately, such cases are not isolated incidents. According to an official investigation in 2019, 39% of sentences given for sexual crimes were considered too lenient and were sent back to court (source: Office for National Statistics). This frequent occurrence of light sentencing for such serious crimes is troubling and shows a systemic problem within our judicial system.

This is why we urge the relevant authorities to retrospectively refer this case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme and review Judge Michael Stokes' ruling. In doing this, we not only validate the experiences of the survivor in this specific case but also take a firm stand against sexual violence and the degrading treatment of girls and women in the UK. Please sign this petition to stand for justice, and affirm that such rulings are unacceptable in our society.