Harsher penalties for serial sex abusers have been demanded by the Opposition following the Circuit Court's decision to jail the X case rapist for just 3½ years for another offence.
Reacting to the judgment by Mr Justice McCartan, Fine Gael TD Mr Alan Shatter said the judge had been "too lenient" in sentencing the Dublin taxi-driver.
"It is time that the courts took a harsher view of serial sex offenders and showed greater understanding of the impact on victims of such offences," he said.
The Opposition had warned that legislation was needed to stop sex offenders getting taxi licenses when it became known that the X case man had received one, and yet nothing was done, he added.
"It remains the position that no parent of a young girl - nor any woman - can be given an assurance that the person licensed to drive a taxi in which they are a passenger has not been convicted of a sexual offence and that they are not at risk," he said. Tying the court case to today's referendum, Mr Shatter said it was extraordinary that the Government had "targeted pregnant and suicidal victims of sexual offenders in the referendum", by seeking to deprive them of the Supreme Court's X-case protections.
"The extraordinary coincidence of this man being sentenced to 3½ years' imprisonment today should set the alarm bells ringing. It graphically illustrates the importance of voting No and defeating the Government's ill-considered and flawed proposal. It is sex offenders who should be targeted by the Government, not their distraught victims," he alleged.
The Labour Party's deputy leader and justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the Director of Public Prosecutions should seek to have the sentence increased.
"I would be anxious to see the courts giving a strong message that sexual crimes will not be tolerated and implementing a sentence policy to reflect this principle." Paying tribute to Miss X, now 24, Mr Howlin said she had shown "incredible determination and courage in seeing this case through".
