THE father of a young victim of a public school sex attacker may consider taking out a private court action after a bid to have the offender's sentence increased failed.

The Attorney General said yesterday he would not be referring the case against the 17-year-old former North-East public school pupil to the Court of Appeal to be considered for a tougher sentence.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was originally sentenced at Teesside Crown Court to two years detention in April, for abusing four boys at the school.

However, his sentence was reduced to eight months after Judge Peter Fox said his original decision had been "manifestly excessive".

The father of one of the victims had called for the eight-month sentence to be reviewed because he felt it was too lenient.

Yesterday, he said he was extremely angry at the Attorney General's decision.

He said: "I can't understand it, we have someone here who has been grooming and abusing young boys for years.

"In a few months he will be able to resume his life, and there are boys whose lives have been made unbearable for two and half years.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'm not going to let it drop like that. I might take out a private action, but you're talking big money there."

Parents at the school were angry that the teenager was likely to serve only half of his sentence and be free by the start of the academic year in September.

The court heard how he had secured a place at another public school.

A spokesman for the office of the Attorney General said: "The Attorney General looks at the sentencing laws that exist and at case precedents and has to consider whether the Court of Appeal is likely to appeal sentences.

"He has to look at the way laws are structured and decide whether he thinks in comparison to the crime the sentence is too lenient. In this case he didn't."