The Crown Prosecution Service has acted with commendable speed in the case of paedophile Keith Fenn.

Whatever we think of the British legal system, one of its great assets is that there are balances and counter-balances when juries and judges get verdicts and sentences wrong.

Judge Julian Hall jailed Fenn for just two years after he admitted raping a 10-year-old girl.

The judge justified the sentence by saying that the girl had dressed provocatively and looked 16. Even if she had been 16, Fenn's behaviour would still have been inexcusable.

Even more galling is the fact that he could be out of prison in just four months because he was in custody for eight months before sentencing.

Not surprisingly, the sentence has outraged child protection agencies as well as Sara Payne, who has led a high-profile campaign for tougher laws since her daughter Sarah was murdered by a paedophile in 2000.

We wouldn't go as far as her in demanding Judge Hall's dismissal.

But we hope the Attorney General will accept the CPS's argument that the Appeal Court should review the case.

Our prisons may be almost full, but room must always be found for child abusers to serve long sentences.