The Court of Appeal will review the non-custodial sentences given to three teenage boys for the rape of two girls, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced. The boys, two aged 15 and one 14 at sentencing, received youth rehabilitation orders after a judge said he wanted to 'avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily'.
The decision sparked public outcry, with former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips calling the sentences 'unduly lenient' and sending a 'bad message'. One victim said the outcome felt like 'a rock straight in my face'. The Attorney General's office received multiple complaints under the unduly lenient sentences scheme.
Starmer said the Attorney General Richard Hermer KC had exercised his power to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, calling it 'clearly the right outcome'. He described the case as 'really distressing' and praised the courage of the girls who came forward.
The sentences relate to two separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. In November 2024, a 15-year-old girl was raped by two defendants, both 14 at the time. In January last year, the three boys threatened a 14-year-old girl with a knife; two raped her while the others encouraged and filmed. The boys were sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on 21 May.
Two 15-year-olds received three-year youth rehabilitation orders with intensive supervision; the 14-year-old got an 18-month order. The court heard one defendant had ADHD and anxiety, another had a low IQ and ADHD, and the third had mild cognitive impairment. One victim, now 16, told the BBC the 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'.
