A 16-year-old victim of rape by teenage boys has described a judge's decision not to jail the perpetrators as a 'rock straight in my face'. The two boys, both aged 15 at the time, raped two girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, on 26 November 2024 and 17 January 2025.
At Southampton Crown Court, the boys were given youth rehabilitation orders with intensive supervision and surveillance. Their sentences are being reviewed by the Attorney General, a decision endorsed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The victim, speaking anonymously on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, questioned the point of the trial, saying the judge's decision made it seem 'as if what the boys did was not OK, but it was OK in the eyes of the law because they were still children'.
The victim's mother also expressed frustration, appealing to the Prime Minister: 'If it was your daughter, your niece, your son, your nephew, your family member, would you be happy? Because we're not happy, and I don't think any other member of the public will be happy too.' Starmer later described the interview as 'a harrowing and brave testimony' and confirmed the sentences were being urgently reviewed.
The court heard that one victim met a defendant on Snapchat in November 2024, and when a second defendant arrived, she became 'scared and anxious'. The pair raped her and filmed the incident, with videos later circulated, leading to harassment. The second victim, aged 14, was raped in a field near Fordingbridge recreation ground in January, also filmed.
Three boys were sentenced: a 15-year-old received a three-year youth rehabilitation order for raping both girls and indecent image charges; another 15-year-old received the same for three rape charges and four counts of taking indecent images; and a 14-year-old received an 18-month order for two rape charges and indecent images. The judge cited the boys' emotional and mental capacities, including ADHD, low IQ, and mild cognitive impairment, and said he aimed to avoid 'criminalising these children unnecessarily'.
Hampshire police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said a custodial sentence would have been appropriate, criticising the judge's praise for the boys' good conduct. The case has sparked widespread outrage over the leniency of the sentences.
