The British government went to an appeal court today in an attempt to have the sentence of a man who raped a 12-week-old baby increased.
Alan Webster (40) committed the offence with the help of his girlfriend, who was babysitting the little girl.
He was jailed for life with a minimum six-year tariff after admitting four charges of rape and five of indecent assault against the baby and of possession of child abuse images in January.
Webster's 19-year-old girlfriend, Tanya French, was jailed for five years with an extended licence period of five years.
The appeal was launched at the behest of the British government's top legal adviser, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, who argued the sentences imposed on the pair should have been longer.
"It is plain that these are crimes which have shocked and outraged public opinion and the sentences have attracted much criticism," Lord Goldsmith said.
As far as Webster was concerned he said: "There can be no doubt Alan Webster is an evil and depraved man."
The Appeal Court judges will be asked to consider whether the judge in the original trial gave too much weight to the fact that both defendants had pleaded guilty.
Under current sentencing guidelines defendants can expect shorter sentences for admitting guilt. The offences committed by Webster and French occurred in early 2004 when the baby's mother, who was single, needed child care because she was decorating a new home.
In sentencing French, the judge said her offences had been aggravated by the breach of trust placed in her by the baby's mother.
The crimes were discovered after police acted on intelligence that Webster had been downloading indecent images from the Internet.
When officers raided Webster's house in Hatfield, 20 miles north of London, they found a photograph album containing images showing Webster and French committing acts of abuse on the baby.