Four ‘unaccompanied migrant minors’ rape a woman in a Dutch park, but are jailed for only 15 months after the judge ruled they ‘needed guidance on how to function in our society’

Four migrant workers found guilty of gang rape of a woman in the Netherlands have been jailed for up to 15 months, Dutch media report.

The perpetrators, aged between 16 and 18, carried out the attack on the 33-year-old victim in a park in the southern city of Helmond in December 2023.

The woman, who was homeless, sat alone on a bench before being surrounded by the group and dragged to a grassy area.

There she was pushed to the ground, beaten and brutally raped, according to NRC. Her mobile phone was also stolen.

The teens, described as “unaccompanied minors,” were convicted Monday and sentenced to prison in a juvenile detention center because of their age.

Police officers reportedly found the woman partially naked and with a swollen nose and jaw after the brutal attack.

The attackers’ sentences, of which three months were suspended, are much lower than the two years demanded by prosecutors.

The Den Bosch court reportedly stated in its judgment that the young people needed ‘guidance’ in functioning in Dutch society.

The sentence, which was described as lenient, took into account the ‘lack of supervision and guidance’ provided to the perpetrators.

The court admitted that such a despicable act “creates feelings of disgust and outrage in society and in particular feelings of insecurity among women.”

The conditional part of the sentence should deter the teenagers from recidivism, the judge said.

The group was also ordered to jointly pay 15,000 euros in compensation to the victim.

A fifth suspect was found guilty of assaulting the woman and received four months of juvenile detention.

The trial took place behind closed doors due to the age of the perpetrators at the time of the attack.