Top judges agreed to cut a paedophile’s jail sentence after he complained the law was not as strict during the 13 years he repeatedly abused a young girl.

Child abuse campaigners condemned the decision, saying it was time the British legal system caught up with public opinion on heinous crimes against children.

It took Michael Willard’s victim almost 20 years to report the sexual abuse he subjected her to as a young child and he was finally sentenced to six years in jail in February.

But this week court of appeal judges agreed to cut his sentence to just four and a half years, the same amount of time she lived without his reign of abuse hanging over her.

Willard, 65, of Hadrian Avenue, Southwick, started abusing his victim when she was just four years old and the years of abuse continued until she was 15.

His victim finally summoned to courage to report his crimes to Sussex Police last summer and Willard admitted ten counts of indecent assault at Chichester Crown Court last December.

But Lord Justice Aitkens, Mr Justice Griffin Williams and Judge Nicholas Cooke QC sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court ruled he had been “sentenced unlawfully” as the offences took place prior to a change in the law in 1997 stiffening penalties for sexual offences against children.

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood, whose patron is Sara Payne, said that victims deserved to see stiffer penalties.

A spokesman said: “Whether an offence took place yesterday or 40 years ago, if a child has been abused then they should feel that the full force of the law has been used to bring a satisfactory sentence.

“From our experience the majority of people don’t feel able to speak out until many years later.

“Too many abusers already get off because of technicalities. It is hard enough to get a case convicted. The CPS will only take it to court if they are reasonably convinced they will get a conviction.

“As a charity we are committed to seeing the full force of the law enforced every time someone reports that they were abused as a child, but sadly the justice system often doesn’t act that way.”