British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described as “appalling” a controversial case in which three teenage boys convicted over the rape of two girls were spared custodial sentences.
The case has sparked national outrage across the United Kingdom after the boys, aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the offences, were handed community-based rehabilitation orders instead of being sent to detention centres.
Sir Keir said it was “right” that the sentences imposed by Southampton Crown Court are now being urgently reviewed by the attorney general.
The attacks happened in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, during separate incidents in November 2024 and January 2025.
Two girls, aged 15 and 14 at the time, were raped by two boys aged 14, while a third boy aged 13 was convicted for encouraging one of the assaults.
The boys also filmed the attacks on their mobile phones before sharing some of the footage online, making the crimes even more disturbing.
Despite the severity of the offences, Judge Nicholas Rowland said during sentencing that he wanted to avoid “criminalising these children unnecessarily.”
Instead of custodial punishment, the teenagers were given Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YROs), which can include curfews, supervision programmes, unpaid work and treatment requirements.
One of the victims, now 16, emotionally told the BBC that the decision felt like “a rock straight in my face.”
She said the outcome made it appear as though what happened to her was not taken seriously because the offenders were still children in the eyes of the law.
The teenager questioned why she had endured the trauma of a court trial and reliving the assaults if the punishment would amount to what she described as merely “a slap on the wrist.”
Sir Keir later praised the girls for showing “extraordinary bravery and strength in heinous circumstances.”
“This is an appalling case,” he said in a social media statement after the victim’s emotional interview aired on television.
Government minister Darren Jones also said authorities wanted the review process completed urgently, stressing that the victims and their families “deserve justice.”
Under UK law, offenders below the age of 18 serve custodial punishments in secure youth detention centres rather than adult prisons.
One of the convicted boys, now aged 15, received a three-year Youth Rehabilitation Order for raping both girls and possessing indecent images.
Another 15-year-old received the same sentence for multiple rape charges and indecent image offences.
The youngest offender, now 14, was handed an 18-month rehabilitation order after being convicted of encouraging one of the rapes.
The case has triggered fierce criticism from politicians across party lines.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “sickened” by the outcome, arguing the punishment was “no punishment at all.”
Meanwhile, Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick claimed justice had failed the victims and suggested judges should face accountability for serious sentencing errors.
Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza also expressed deep concern and pledged support for the victims’ families.
The attorney general now has 28 days to decide whether the sentences should be referred to the Court of Appeal for reconsideration.
