Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described as “appalling” a case in which three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls avoided custodial sentences.
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The boys, aged 13 and 14 at the time of the offences, were sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday after attacks on two girls in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025.
Two of the boys, both now aged 15, and another now aged 14, were instead given Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YROs), community-based sentences for children that can include curfews, supervision and treatment requirements.
Review of sentences
Speaking after one of the victims criticised the ruling in an interview with the BBC, Starmer said the case was being urgently reviewed by the attorney general.
In a post on X, the prime minister said the girls had 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,” he said.
The attorney general now has 28 days to decide whether to refer the sentences to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones said ministers expected the review to move more quickly because of the seriousness of the case.
Victim criticises ruling
One of the victims, now aged 16, told the BBC the decision felt like “a rock straight in my face”.
She said the outcome made it appear that what had happened to the girls was “not OK, but it was OK in the eyes of the law because they were still children”.
The teenager questioned why she had gone through the court process and relived the attacks during the trial if the punishment amounted to what she described as “a slap on the wrist”.
She had been 15 when she was raped in an underpass near the River Avon after travelling to meet one of the boys, who had contacted her through Snapchat. The second victim, aged 14 at the time, was raped in a field.
The assaults were filmed on mobile phones, with some footage later shared online.
Judge cited age of offenders
At sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland said he wanted to avoid “criminalising these children unnecessarily”, despite acknowledging the seriousness of the offences.
He said the filming of the attacks made the crimes “even more serious”, but also praised the boys for their behaviour during the trial.
One 15-year-old received a three-year YRO with 180 days of intensive supervision for raping both girls and for indecent image offences.
The second 15-year-old received the same sentence for multiple rape charges and indecent image offences. The 14-year-old was given an 18-month YRO after being convicted of encouraging one of the rapes.
Under UK law, offenders under 18 serve custodial sentences in secure youth facilities rather than adult prisons.
Political reaction
Senior politicians from across parties criticised the sentences.
Robert Jenrick said justice had not been done and questioned whether judges should face greater accountability for sentencing decisions.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “sickened” by the case, while Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Ben Maguire called the crimes “utterly horrific”.
Rachel de Souza said she was “deeply concerned” and that her office would contact the families to offer support.
A government spokesperson said ministers shared the public’s “shock” at the details of the case and confirmed that law officers were reviewing the sentences “with the utmost care and attention”.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 25 May 2026
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