A British man who raped a 12-week-old baby his girlfriend was babysitting had his jail term increased and might never be released after the Court of Appeal ruled his original sentence was too lenient.
In January, Alan Webster (40) was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least six years in jail after he admitted the horrific attack on the baby girl.
Attorney General Lord Goldsmith
Tanya French, his 20-year-old girlfriend, was given a five-year term with an extended licence period of five years for her part in the crime.
Today, Lord Phillips, the lord chief justice, backed by four other judges, ruled Webster should serve eight years behind bars before being considered for parole.
"His sentence was life imprisonment and such was his depravity that it is questionable whether the Parole Board would ever consider that he should be released," Judge Phillips said.
However, the court refused to increase the sentence imposed on French.
After the sentences were originally imposed at St Alban's Crown Court, the mother of the child involved branded them as "a joke".
Webster and French were jailed after pleading guilty to rape and indecent assault. The pair had also taken photographs of their assault. The crimes were discovered after police acted on intelligence that Webster had been downloading indecent images from the Internet.
When officers raided Webster's house in Hatfield, 20 miles north of London, they found a photograph album containing images showing Webster and French committing acts of abuse on the baby.
Webster also admitted indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl who had been a friend of French.
"It is plain that these are crimes which have shocked and outraged public opinion and the sentences have attracted much criticism," the government's top legal adviser, Lord Goldsmith, said. "There can be no doubt Alan Webster is an evil and depraved man."
