A schoolgirl who was raped by two teenage boys has described the decision to spare them jail as like a 'rock straight in my face'. The trial at Southampton Crown Court heard that two girls were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, on November 26, 2024, and January 17, 2025.
The two boys, both aged 15 and from the traveller community, were given youth rehabilitation orders (YRO) and made subject to intensive supervision and surveillance (ISS). The judge sparked outrage by praising the teens for their conduct at trial and handing them rehabilitation orders instead of jail, despite the callous attacks where they took turns raping the girls while filming and sharing the footage.
In an interview with the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, one of the victims, who was 15 at the time of the incident, asked: 'What was the point in putting me through that?' Speaking anonymously with her family, the now-16-year-old said the judge's decision 'almost 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'.
Jodie Mittel KC, prosecuting, told the trial the girl had visited one of the defendants in November 2024 after meeting him on Snapchat. The prosecutor said that after performing sex acts on the boy, who was then 14, she became 'scared and anxious' when the second defendant arrived, and the pair raped her while the incident was filmed. Afterwards, videos were shared, and she received messages calling her a 'sl*g'.
The complainant in the January incident, who was 14 at the time, was raped in a field near Fordingbridge recreation ground while the incident was also filmed. In the sentencing hearing, a 15-year-old boy was handed a three-year YRO with 180 days of ISS for the rape of each of the two girls and two indecent images charges. The court heard he had been diagnosed with ADHD and 'long-standing anxiety'. A second 15-year-old received the same sentence for three charges of rape against each victim and four counts of taking indecent images. The court was told he had an IQ in the 'bottom 1 per cent of his contemporaries' and had been diagnosed with ADHD. A third boy, 14, was given a YRO for 18 months for two charges of rape in the January incident and an indecent images offence. He was described as having 'mild cognitive impairment'.
Judge Nicholas Rowland told the defendants: 'I have to remember that you are not small adults. I have to think how likely you are to do serious things again and I need to make sure you do not do serious things again in the future.' He added that 'peer pressure played a large part in what went on'.
During the BBC interview, the girl's mother appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, asking: '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. So you're in a position of power to help, so please help.'
Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones offered to support the families if they wish to appeal against the 'leniency' of the sentences. She said: 'This is an extremely disturbing case. I'm deeply concerned these boys felt they could carry out such terrifying acts and share them online and not go to prison. Their sentences reflect a clear focus on rehabilitation rather than criminalisation. They are far too lenient.'
A Government spokesman said the attorney general's office had received 'multiple' requests for the sentences to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Scheme. He said: 'We share the public's shock at the details of this horrific case, and our thoughts are with the young victims during this distressing time. The law officers are urgently reviewing the case with the utmost care and attention.' Lord Hermer will now consider the case and could send it back to court, which may decide to increase the sentences and send the boys to prison.
