NEW guidelines recommending a prison sentence of at least five years for rape have been welcomed as “absolutely the right decision” by campaigners.

After a public consultation, the Scottish Sentencing Council signed off on the new guidance in December, before it came into force on Tuesday.

Judges will now be advised to hand down sentence of between five and 13 years for the rape of an adult, and between seven and 14 years for the rape of a child.

Sentencing council chair, Lord Beckett said: ”I am pleased these guidelines are now in effect.

“Rape offences are among the most serious to come before the courts and can have a devastating impact on victims.

“Sentencing rape offences is a highly sensitive and complex process and these guidelines will greatly assist judges in determining appropriate and consistent sentences in such cases and improve public understanding of how these decisions are reached.”

Rape Crisis Scotland’s Alev Taylor said: ”Survivors must have confidence in the system to protect them and to offer a sense of justice, so increasing sentencing ranges to better reflect current sentencing practice set out by the Appeal Court is absolutely the right decision.

“Survivors of rape have told us time and time again that they felt that the interests of the perpetrator were put ahead of their own when it came to sentencing.”

She said: “It is encouraging to see these new guidelines being implemented.

“Rehabilitation is a crucial part of the criminal justice system but it is also there to serve as a deterrent for offenders and to offer a sense of justice for victims of crime.

“A conviction for a serious crime like rape should always involve a significant custodial sentence.”