It may well have been.
Cultural attitudes to this type of incident do vary , depending on the genders involved.
If a male adult sexually assaults a child, he is a pervert and a dirty old man, and the child is (quite rightly) a victim.
If a female adult sexually assaults a child, then she is seen as a vamp, and the child is a lucky boy, to be envied and admired.
This dichotomy is a hold-over from earlier times, when this was the prevalent attitude towards underage sex with adults - mostly it has to be said, society it making inroads into this unequal approach to a difficulty and damaging issue.
But it may be that the judiciary - not always at the pinnacle of modern thinking, may have seen this issue differently had the genders been reversed, but of course, this is pure speculation.