They first raised concerns within the criminal justice system but said there had been little or no sign of action. They believe radical change is urgently needed.

#IsabelOwens, the chief executive of #RSACC said: “It takes incredible bravery for a survivor of #SexualViolence to report what has happened to them. We are deeply concerned about the trend we are seeing towards more lenient consequences for young perpetrators’ actions and the impact this may have on behaviours and reporting rates in future.

“The survivors who have experienced these outcomes say they feel hopeless and worried for other young people who might fall victim to the crimes of individuals who are not being held meaningfully accountable. They are rightly questioning whether reporting to the police and enduring the process is worth it.”

She was 15 when attacked by the boy, whom she knew, and she said her rapist being freed by the court despite being convicted had added to her continuing trauma.

“I am worried about bumping into this person and I am worried for other people in case he does this again after no real consequence,” she said. “I don’t know where he is or what he is doing. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I trust people less because of this.”

She added: “It would be good for the public to know the struggles with emotions this has caused and to understand the impacts on me as a young person.”

She said her attacker had made a choice to rape her and should be on the sex offender register for life, not 30 months.

These cases only came to light because official victim advocates from the #RapeAndSexualAbuseCounsellingCentre (#RSACC ) covering #Darlington and #CountyDurham, who attended court to support the victims, witnessed the sentences and were horrified.