A girl who was raped by two teenage boys has attacked a judge’s decision to spare them jail sentences as being like a “rock straight in my face”.
The victim was 15 years old when she was raped in an underpass near the River Avon in Fordingbridge, Hampshire.
The two defendants, who are now 15, were also convicted of raping a second victim at knifepoint in a field in January 2025. Another boy, now 14, was also convicted for aiding and abetting the second attack.
The boys filmed the attacks on their phones and later shared some of the footage online.
During sentencing at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday, the judge stressed the “seriousness” of the crimes and said the filming of the assaults had made them even “more serious”.
However, he said he wanted to avoid “criminalising” the “very young boys” and praised their behaviour during the trial.
The girl told the BBC that she had questioned “what was the point” of going through the trauma of the trial only for the judge to say that it was “fine” for the boys to rape her because they were “still children”.
She told Laura Kuenssberg: “The words hit like a rock straight in my face. He 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.
“It meant that, why did I sit and put myself through the pain of going to court, going through a trial, reliving everything because of evidence, and watching it all happen again? It sort of gave me a sense of, what’s the point? What was the point in putting me through that just to say that it’s fine?”
Responding to the interview, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, wrote on X: “This is a harrowing and brave testimony. The girls at the heart of this case have shown extraordinary bravery and strength in heinous circumstances.
This is an appalling case and it is right that law officers are urgently reviewing the sentences.”
Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, is reviewing the non-custodial sentences by Judge Nicholas Rowland to determine whether they should be referred to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient”.
On Sunday morning, Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, said that as a father, he believed the two teenage boys should have their sentences increased.
Mr Jones, who appeared close to tears, told Ms Kuenssberg: “Those girls deserve justice, as do their families, both for them, but also for other girls that are put in that position. And quite frankly,
other boys need to know that they can’t behave in that way and get away with it.”
Lord Hermer is conducting the review after his office received complaints about the undue leniency of the sentences, including from politicians and senior policing figures.
The girl’s mother also issued an appeal on Sunday to Sir Keir to back the Court of Appeal reconsidering the sentence.
“If it was your daughter, your niece, your son, your nephew, your family member, would you be happy?” she said.
“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.”
The mother’s partner said he had felt physically sick when he heard the sentences.
“It seems to me like the victims are the ones suffering and the perpetrators are the ones that have seemingly got away scot-free,” he said.
During sentencing, a 15-year-old boy was handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order (YRO) with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance for the rape of each of the two girls and two indecent images charges.
The court heard he had been diagnosed with ADHD as well as “long-standing anxiety”.
A second 15-year-old was given the same sentence for three charges of rape against each of the two victims and four counts of taking indecent images in relation to filming the incidents. The court was told he had an IQ of 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 by encouraging the second defendant and an offence of indecent images.
Asked whether he worried about the message such sentences sent out to boys and young men, Mr Jones said: “I do, because
those young women deserve justice, but I also worry about it, because boys need to know they cannot behave in that way. It’s not acceptable in society, and if you do, there must be consequences for it.”Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, also indicated that she supported the family’s demand for the Court of Appeal to reconsider the sentence.
She said they were “very, very serious” crimes with apparent premeditation by the boys.
“I don’t want any very young girls in this country to feel this can happen and not be addressed properly. We will be reaching out to support [the family]. I am deeply concerned,” she added.
‘Not guilty pleas’
Donna Jones, the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, backed a review by the Court of Appeal.
She said: “What is really alarming is the judge’s comments praising these three young males for their good conduct from the charge up to the point of their sentence.
“But let’s not forget, these were not guilty pleas that were entered. This is three males who put their victims through the trial and the ordeal of having to relive all of that. That has really added to the burden for those two survivors.”
Ms Jones added: “The police often refer to rape as the worst offence you can survive … and the victims will have to live with the consequences of this for the rest of their lives. That’s why [a custodial sentence] is appropriate, for the protection of others and so [the culprits] can get that support in prison. They should be sent to youth offending.”
A government spokesman said the Attorney General’s office had received requests for the sentences to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
He added: “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.”
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