Many people in the community today are shocked that the man who impregnated a 12-year-old girl has only been jailed for three years.

It is even more surprising that the Crown has decided not to appeal the sentence.

Assistant Justice Carlisle Greaves was keen to have the man spend part of his sentence on probation, where presumably he could get counselling and some kind of rehabilitation.

Even if that decision was right ? and many people will feel with justice that the man should have received the maximum prison sentence possible without any probation ? the law prevents any more time than a two-year period of imprisonment when probation is included in the sentence.

Clearly the Criminal Code is wrong in restricting the discretion of the judge is in this case and the law should be changed.

But it is also surprising that the Director of Public Prosecutions is not appealing the sentence when the Crown has asked for an eight to ten year prison term, which seems entirely justified.

This was a horrific crime committed by a man in a position of trust and made worse by the fact that he denied it until confronted with irrefutable proof and then tried to blame it on the fact his brain has been addled by marijuana.

There is no telling what damage this act will have done to the victim, but this man must bear full responsibility and must be held accountable.

There have been two many cases of this kind ? with the John (Chalkie) White case being among the worst ? to give anyone the illusion that the community tolerates this behaviour.

A message must be sent to other child molesters that the community will punish them with the full force of the law. And in this case, a three-year term is not just inadequate, it is an insult to the victim and her family which can only cause them added pain.