Prime Minister Calls Rape Sentences for Teenage Boys Appalling as Review Begins

The prime minister described a case in which three teenage boys were spared custodial sentences for raping two girls as appalling and said it was right that the sentences are being reviewed. The attacks occurred in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. One girl, then 15, was raped in an underpass by the River Avon in November 2024 after meeting one of the boys through Snapchat.

The second girl, then 14, was raped in a field in January 2025. The boys filmed the assaults and shared footage online.

Court on Thursday, Judge Nicholas Rowland gave the two older boys, now 15, three-year youth rehabilitation orders with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance. The 14-year-old received an 18-month youth rehabilitation order for encouraging one of the rapes.

The judge said he wanted to avoid criminalising the children unnecessarily. One victim, now 16, told the BBC the decision felt like a rock straight in her face and described the sentences as a slap on the wrist.

The attorney general has 28 days from the sentencing hearing, until June 18, to decide whether to refer the sentences to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. A government spokesperson said the Attorney General’s office had received multiple requests for review and that law officers are examining the case with the utmost care.

>"This is a harrowing and brave testimony. " — Prime Minister, social media post responding to BBC interview Cabinet Minister Darren Jones told the BBC the review would be conducted urgently and that the girls and their families deserve justice. Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick said justice had not been done.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was sickened by the case. Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said she was deeply concerned and would reach out to the families.