Three teenage boys reportedly laughed as they filmed themselves carrying out alleged sex attacks on girls in an affluent Hampshire town, a court has been told. The schoolboys, who were aged 13, 14, and 14 at the time of the incidents, are accused of raping two girls, aged 14 and 15, within an eight-week period in Fordingbridge.
Court Hears Details of Alleged Attacks
Prosecutors at Southampton Crown Court described how the girls were "outnumbered" in both alleged incidents, which took place in November 2024 and January 2025. One victim described feeling "trapped" and said her abusers "laughed" while they raped her and recorded the assault on their mobile phones.
First Alleged Incident in November 2024
According to court testimony, the first alleged attack occurred in November 2024 when a 14-year-old girl met up with one of the boys after striking up a conversation on Snapchat. The girl believed the boy was her boyfriend and consensually gave him oral sex, but became "uncomfortable" when two other boys joined them.
Prosecutor Jodie Mittell KC told the court: "[The 15-year-old girl] is significantly outnumbered, so it is just her and three boys. That is when we say she was pressured into both oral sex and into vaginal sex, which we say she did not want to participate in."
The girl was taken to an underpass where two of the boys allegedly pressured her into sexual acts. She later told police she felt "petrified" and "cornered and trapped with three boys in the underpass." During the incident, she said the boys were "laughing" at her while she remained silent, trying not to cry.
Police discovered footage of this incident on one of the boys' phones, showing six videos and pictures of the girl giving oral sex. In the recordings, the boys can be heard laughing, with one saying "don't film it mush."
Second Alleged Incident in January 2025
The second alleged attack occurred in January 2025 when a 14-year-old girl claimed she was pushed against a wall and threatened with a knife. She said she was told to drop her phone and airtag in a Co-Op store before being taken to Fordingbridge Recreation Ground by the three boys.
The court heard that when the girl tried to run away, the boys allegedly threatened to "kill her" if she attempted it again. Following the alleged attack, the girl reported that people began calling her a "slag" on social media and blaming her for what happened after videos were shared online.
Ms Mittell KC noted: "[The 14-year-old girl] was being blamed publicly before she even started to explain what had happened to the police in her account. This was a 'similar' case to the months before, where the girl had found herself 'outnumbered' by the boys."
Current Trial Proceedings
The three boys, now aged 14, 15, and 15, are standing trial at Southampton Crown Court charged with a total of eight counts of rape between them. All three have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Two of the boys, both 15, deny four counts of rape in relation to the first alleged incident, with one also denying five counts of making indecent photographs of a child. Both face two further counts of rape concerning the second incident. The third boy, aged 14, denies two counts of rape related to the second alleged attack.
None of the defendants nor the two teenage girls can be named for legal reasons. The trial continues as the court examines the disturbing allegations that have shaken the affluent community of Fordingbridge, which sits on the edge of Hampshire's New Forest National Park.
