Non-Custodial Sentences for Teenage Rapists Spark Outcry
Two 14-year-old boys who carried out a series of horrific rapes against two schoolgirls walked free from court with non-custodial sentences, sparking a public outcry and a high-level legal review. The attacks took place in November 2024 in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, when a 15-year-old girl, known under the pseudonym Jazmine, was lured to an underpass by the River Avon. She had arranged to meet a boy she had connected with on Snapchat for what she believed would be a first date. Instead, she was trapped and raped three times by him and another 14-year-old boy. The attackers filmed the assaults and posted them on social media, resulting in the victim receiving abusive messages online.
Second Attack and Court Sentencing
Just two months later, in January 2025, the same two boys repeatedly raped a second 14-year-old girl in a field at Fordingbridge Recreation Ground, while a third boy shouted encouragement. In May, the three defendants walked out of Southampton Crown Court after being handed Youth Rehabilitation Orders, despite amassing 10 rape convictions between them.
The non-custodial sentences caused widespread anger. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the case as "distressing", and Attorney General Lord Hermer referred the case to the Court of Appeal as "unduly lenient". A two-day hearing has now opened at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Victim's Statement and Impact
Ahead of the sentence review, Jazmine issued a statement detailing the permanent impact of the attacks and describing her experience giving evidence at the trial as "traumatising". She said: "I feel like I am carrying what happened every day. I wake up with it, I go to school with it, I try to sit exams with it, and I go to sleep with it. It is always there. What happened to me has left me harmed so severely that I do not think I will ever be the same."
During the original sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland noted that youth guidelines state custody must be a "last resort". He highlighted the boys' backgrounds, stating one had ADHD, while the other had an IQ in the bottom 1% and functioned "more like an eight-year-old".
Family's Response and Foundation
Jazmine's family is now fundraising to launch a support foundation called Stronger than Silence. A family spokesperson said: "Today's hearing is about far more than Jazmine's case. It is about every survivor watching to see how the criminal justice system responds to the devastating harm caused by rape."
