A judge gave a man who raped his 12-year-old daughter a short sentence so he could 'spend more time with his sons'

An American judge has given a 60 day sentence to a man who raped his 12-year-old daughter.

The controversial decision has come under fire with over 60,000 people signing a petition that calls for the impeachment of Montana judge John Mckeon.

The petition states:

Judge McKeon ignored what the prosecution recommended, and did what he thought was best for the rapist instead of the victim. It is time to start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets...

It also calls for the Judicial Standards Commission to review the decision. The petition was created to speak on “behalf of the 12-year-old child”.

The victim’s mother stated in court documents that her husband “made a horrible choice" and that the 25 year sentence was too harsh – which the prosecution system recommends, according to CNN.

Additionally, the man’s mother also said that the he needed to be present in his other children’s lives, stating his "children, especially his sons, will be devastated if their Dad is no longer part of their lives."

Defending his decision, McKeon explained that sex offender treatment specialist Michael Sullivan recommended rehabilitation rather than detention:

The sentence may not be a popular decision by certain members of the general public but it is a just and proper decision given the record before the court and the law the court is sworn to uphold.