One minute please. He says:
In my view, the rape of the complainant is one of the worst imaginable. If life imprisonment is not appropriate in a rape as brutal as this, when will it be appropriate?
That is the problem that we are facing. I would have preferred not to actually prescribe the discretion in rape cases more than we have done. But against the background of what is happening out there with young girls in particular and what we are seeing in the judgments that they do not want to impose these sentences, our Parliament has no other recourse than to actually say: We are restricting the discretion. I am prepared for us to go to court to argue that point very strongly on behalf of those women that are being raped and not being treated with the necessary respect in our courts. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Bill read a second time.