Wasnt that what Clark was trying to say but worded it wrongly?
He bumbled on (as is his wont), but that was the gist I think...
I wonder how many would say that 'murder is murder', whilst agreeing that sometimes aggravating factors can reduce the sentence - such as someone killing a partner after years of abuse.
If there is an acceptance that one murder can be less 'horrible' than another whilst still calling it murder (and having a conviction saying just that), then I don't see the problem in taking into account the individual circumstances of a rape..
And another thing to consider is that although a 'rapist is a rapist', the judge also has discretion as to the time a person is on the sex offenders register.
If that were made a universal time period, then a consensual but ill timed (age wise) teenager having sex with a willing (slightly underage) partner would serve the same term on the register as a violent offender..
So Judges must always be allowed discretion, although they should (imo) be given guidelines which should make them hand out stiffer sentences where required!
There is though one factor in rape that cannot be equated with murder...one victim is alive, and one is not - and as much as Clarke was a tw*t in the way he said it, I think that to avoid a victim going through another ordeal the offender should be 'rewarded' - give them same sentence lengthwise, but in a lower category prison.