Court of Appeal to decide if teenage rapists' sentences were unduly lenient

The attorney general has asked the Court of Appeal to review the case of three teenagers who avoided jail over the rape of two girls.

Two 15-year-old-boys were given youth rehabilitation orders (YRO) and put on intensive supervision and surveillance (ISS) by a judge at Southampton Crown Court last week.

They raped the girls in separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in November 2024 and January 2025. Footage was also shared on social media.

The prime minister said it was "clearly the right outcome" as he confirmed the attorney general had decided to refer the case to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

A third boy, 14, was also given a YRO for encouraging one of the attackers, as well as for an indecent images offence, over the January attack.

His sentence will also be reviewed, although the referral does not automatically mean the sentences will be altered.

The Court of Appeal could leave them unchanged if it decides they were within a reasonable range of sentences available to the judge.

One of the victims told the BBC that hearing the boys had avoided jail was "like a rock straight in my face" and politicians across the spectrum have raised serious concerns.

Attorney General Richard Hermer KC called it a "horrific case" and said he wanted "to bring closure to the victims and their families".

"It is clear to me from their powerful personal statements, that these girls have displayed immense bravery in coming forward," he added.

The victim of the first incident, who was 15 at the time, attended last week's sentencing and read out her victim impact statement.

She also read out a poem she wrote, directed at her attackers.

"I was caught off-guard, I never want that to happen again, I will never get that innocence back again," she said.

The poem included the line: "All I want to do is die, I no longer have fear for when that comes."

In a statement read on her behalf, the other girl described nightmares and struggling to sleep: "I feel ashamed, insecure and uncomfortable in my own body," she said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Court of Appeal to decide if teenage rapists' sentences were unduly lenient