UK Attorney General Refers Youth Rape Sentences to Court of Appeal

The attorney general has referred the sentences of three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls in Hampshire to the Court of Appeal for review. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the decision followed questions about whether the original penalties were too lenient. He stated the attorney general's power to refer such cases had now been exercised.

Two girls aged 15 and 14 were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge. The first attack occurred in November 2024 in an underpass beside the River Avon. The second took place in January 2025 at Fordingbridge Recreation Ground. Two boys then aged 14 and one boy then aged 13 were convicted after a trial at Southampton Crown Court in March.

The boys, who cannot be named, received youth rehabilitation orders and left court with ten rape convictions between them.

Rowland said he sought to avoid criminalising the children unnecessarily and to support their reintegration into society. He noted the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that the assaults were filmed. The judge told the defendants none of them needed to go to prison that day. Two of the boys' mothers reportedly wept when the sentence was announced.

Hermer said the government would not stand by amid what he described as an epidemic of violence against women and girls. He directed officials to review the case urgently to bring closure to the victims and families. " — Lord Hermer, 26 May 2026 (BBC News) One victim told the BBC the judge's decision felt like a rock straight in her face.

She said it seemed the law treated the acts as acceptable because the perpetrators were children. French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot told the BBC she saluted the strength of one of the victims for speaking out. She expressed shock that the boys regained freedom while the victims continue to suffer.

The attorney general can refer sentences to the Court of Appeal when they appear unduly lenient. Three senior judges will examine the case in a public hearing and decide whether the original penalties were appropriate. The prime minister described the case as distressing during a visit to East Sussex on Monday.

He praised the courage of the victims while noting the case troubled him both as a politician and as a father.