TWO teenagers who became the first people in more than 100 years to be found guilty of violating a grave and corpse walked free from court today.

Sonny Devlin, 17, and a 15-year-old were found guilty earlier this month of hacking off a corpse?s head.

Devlin was given three years? probation and 200 hours of community service, and his young accomplice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given two years? probation.

They may have to clean up graveyards as part of their punishment.

As the verdict was read out there were gasps of shock in the crowded courtroom and the two teenagers flinched before walking out of court.

Under Scots law, the ancient crime of ?violation of sepulchre? - disturbing a dead person - can be punished by life imprisonment.

But as a relieved Devlin left court he said: "I am happy with the sentence. Now I just want to get on with the rest of my life."

The minister of Greyfriars Kirk, where the bizarre crime took place, Rev. Richard Fraser, welcomed the lenient sentence - and said he hoped the pair had learned their lesson.

He said: "A harsher sentence would have been a shame as I don?t think they were necessarily evil people.

"I think a lot of young people have a fascination with death and with the dark side of life, and that?s perfectly natural, but I hope this pair have learned their lesson and feel chastened.

"I?m glad the sentence is not too harsh. We are a merciful country."

And he said he was glad there was no immediate family surviving to be upset by the attack. He said: "The whole affair was quite unpleasant really, and it would have been very distressing if there had been immediate family who may have felt extremely violated."

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