Torture brothers to have 'lenient' sentences reviewed

Attorney General Baroness Scotland will look at the prison terms handed down to the 11- and 12-year-olds to see if they were "unduly lenient".

The brothers, who have not been named, were handed indefinite terms last week with a minimum tariff of five years over the "appalling" attack in Edlington, near Doncaster, last April.

If Lady Scotland decides the sentences were too soft, she will refer them to the Court of Appeal and ask the judges to consider upping the terms handed down. They will look again at the case and can decide to change the terms or leave them as they are.

The Attorney General is required to look at cases if asked to do so by a member of the public. A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said: "We have called for the papers in the case following a request that the Attorney General calls it in."

Both the attackers were handed indeterminate sentences for public protection, known as IPP sentences.

Although the minimum they will serve is five years, they cannot be released until the authorities are convoked they no longer pose a threat to society.

The mother of one of their victims said this week she believed they were "evil". She told the Mail on Sunday: "I believe they could do this again so people should know exactly who they are. I understand they won't be released until the authorities believe they have been rehabilitated - but they're evil."

During sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court last week details emerged of how the brothers lured the boys to secluded woodland and subjected them to 90 minutes of violence and sexual humiliation. The victims were strangled, hit with bricks, made to eat nettles, stripped and forced to sexually abuse each other. The older boy was seriously injured when a piece of ceramic sink was dropped on his head.

Sentencing them, Mr Justice Keith described the crimes as "truly exceptional". They were carried out "for no reason other than that you got a real kick out of hurting and humiliating them", he said.