Attorney-general reviews case of teenage rapists spared jail
The attorney-general has launched an “urgent” review of the sentences handed to three teenage boys who avoided jail after they raped two lone girls and “laughed” as they filmed the attacks.
Lord Hermer is considering whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal to decide if the attackers should have received a tougher punishment.
His office has received submissions requesting that he refer the case under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
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The rapists — aged 13, 14 and 14 at the time — walked out of court this week after being convicted of raping one girl aged 14 in a park in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in January 2025. Two of them raped a 15-year-old girl in an underpass in the same town in November 2024.
In both cases the boys recorded the rapes on their phones, laughed and encouraged each other as they “outnumbered” their victims.
After a trial at Southampton crown court, they were were convicted of ten rape charges between them, relating to the two attacks.
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The two older boys were given three-year youth rehabilitation orders and 180 days of intensive surveillance and supervision. The younger boy received an 18-month youth rehabilitation order. None received a custodial sentence.
Judge Nicholas Rowland, explaining his sentencing, said: “I should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily and understand the effects of their behaviour and support their reintegration into society.”
The judge did stress the “seriousness” of the boys’ crimes and said their filming of the attacks made them even “more serious”. But he then emphasised their “very young” ages, their low intelligence and ADHD diagnoses.
The sentences were referred to the attorney-general by Kieran Mullan, the shadow justice minister, and Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls.
The referral was on the basis that the sentences do not properly reflect the gravity of the crimes, the severe harm caused to the victims, or the need to maintain public confidence in the justice system.
Mullan said: “It cannot be right that teenage boys can commit brutal crimes of rape like this and avoid prison entirely. The excuses of ADHD for a crime like this are an offence to justice.”
Kearns said: “These three boys committed horrific, premeditated offences against two innocent young girls, who will now carry the trauma of these attacks for the rest of their lives. Yet our justice system seems more concerned with protecting the offenders’ futures rather than protecting the victims.”
Jess Phillips, the former Home Office minister who was responsible for safeguarding until her resignation from the government this month, also condemned the sentence as unduly lenient.
“This was seemingly done for content to be shared online,” she told Times Radio. “Rehabilitation is vitally important, but punishment is too. I think that these young people should go to the youth [prison] estate and undertake rehabilitation programmes around sexually harmful behaviours whilst in custody.
“There is a broader public interest test that I think has to be put in place about what message this sends to girls and women who might come forward in these cases. What would be the point of going through years of trial for such an outcome?”
Donna Jones, the Hampshire police and crime commissioner, backed any appeal against the “too lenient” sentences. “I’m deeply concerned these boys felt they could carry out such terrifying acts and share them online and not go to prison,” she said.
“Their sentences reflect a clear focus on rehabilitation rather than criminalisation. They are far too lenient.”
During the sentencing hearing, the 15-year-old victim said: “All I want to do is die, I no longer have fear for when that comes.”
The second girl told the court: “There are days where I feel emotionally numb and detached from those around me.”
A government official said: “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.”
The sentencing judge had told the boys: “I think of you as very young and none of you have been in any big trouble before. You have all done very well with the restrictions put in place throughout the trial.”
“For children, I have to remember you aren’t small adults and I have to try to make sure you won’t do these serious things again.”
The judge told the court the first boy had been diagnosed with ADHD and long-standing anxiety, which made him more open to “peer pressure”.
He said the second boy fell into the bottom 1 per cent in IQ for his age, and he had been diagnosed with ADHD.
The judge said the third boy had “low intellectual capacity” and he had a “limited understanding of consent”.