Victim's mother says Deal mum Karen Ackland, who seduced a 14-year-old boy, got what she deserved when she was jailed for two years
00:00, 09 October 2014
updated: 09:31, 09 October 2014
The mother of a teenage boy seduced by 44-year-old Karen Ackland has spoken out after the disgraced mum-of-two was jailed for two years.
Divorced Ackland was re-sentenced by an appeal judge on Friday, after previously escaping with a suspended sentence in July.
Now, the mother of Ackland's 14-year-old victim has said her son's abuser "got what she deserved".
She has also called for harsher sentences for female sex offenders like divorcee Ackland, of Cavell Square.
She said: "My heart goes out to her children but she didn't think of them when she was doing that with my son.
"She's got what she deserves. I just feel for her boys. I just want my son to be protected."
On Friday, three senior judges at London’s Appeal Court upheld a bid by Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC to have her “too soft” sentence increased, jailing her for two years.
Lord Justice Pitchford, sitting with Mr Justice Dingermans and Mr Justice William Davis, said: “This sentence was plainly unduly lenient.
“We shall quash the suspended sentence order and substitute what we regard as the least possible sentence – namely concurrent terms of two years’ imprisonment.
“There are no grounds for suspending the sentences, and they will be served immediately.”
The appeal judge ordered Ackland to hand herself into Folkestone police station by 4pm on Friday to start her sentence.
The victim’s mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “I think she could have done with a few months to think about what she’s done.
“It was the crown prosecution, they appealed. They must have felt very strongly about it. I only heard of it when they had gone ahead with the first part of the appeal.
“They asked if we were going to go to the hearing and initially we said yes but when I heard it was in London, I changed my mind."
Ackland, a former Tesco shelf stacker of Cavell Square, has two teenage children.
She was originally sentenced to a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, at Canterbury Crown Court in July, after she admitted having sex with a child.
She was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and pay £500 court costs.
The mother of the victim later told the Mercury in August, she thought women should receive the same sentences as male sex offenders.
She said: “I think women should have as long sentences as men. It’s exactly the same sexual act.
“It shouldn’t be any different for men and women and if she had been a man I think she would have had a jail sentence.”
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