An Eastbourne couple have slammed the sentence handed down to a teenager who tried to rape their ten-year-old daughter.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to three years' community rehabilitation by Lewes Crown Court this morning for attempted rape.

The girl's parents say they are furious he has escaped jail.

They said the public money it would cost to keep the teenage boy in a special unit in Cambridgeshire could be better used.

The victim's outraged father said: "He went up there for a four-week assessment and it cost £7,000. How much will it cost to keep him there for two years?"

The youth pleaded guilty in November to attempting to rape the girl.

Sentencing him, Judge Charles Kemp said it was a "dreadful offence".

He said: "You were 17 at the time, your victim ten. If you were an adult you would be looking at a sentence of imprisonment lasting years.

"Many would argue that in spite of your age you should go into custody for a very great length of time."

The judge said he had taken into account the attacker's guilty plea, which meant his victim did not have to take the stand.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register.