One of the victims in the Fordingbridge rape case has described feeling she is the one being punished afterthree teenage boys convicted of raping her and another girl received no prison sentences. The 16-year-old, attacked when she was 15, told the BBC the judge's decision felt like 'a rock straight in my face'.
She questioned what the point had been in enduring the trial and reliving the evidence. The attorney general has referred the sentences from Southampton Crown Court to the Court of Appeal amid public outrage.
The victim in a BBC report spoke anonymously alongside her family and said the outcome almost made it seem as if what the boys did was acceptable in the eyes of the law because they remained children. 'What was the point in putting me through that?' she asked, describing the pain of going to court and watching the evidence again.
She has since battled sadness, anger, stress and exhaustion while trying to hold her life together at school and beyond. Her mother said everything 'stopped moving' when she discovered the attack. The family's statement expressed hope that the initial sentence will be overturned so the correct punitive outcome prevails and sends a message to judges and perpetrators alike.
In the first attack in November 2024 the girl was lured via Snapchat and raped three times in an underpass by the River Avon in Fordingbridge. She had feared the boys might throw her into the river if she refused. In the second incident in January 2025 a 14-year-old girl was raped repeatedly in a field near the recreation ground after meeting the boys there.
One defendant pushed her to the ground and used a knife to cut her clothing before the assault. Theboys filmed both ordeals on their phones and shared some footage online. Both victims were significantly outnumbered and suffered prolonged ordeals. The three perpetrators, two now 15 and one 14, walked out of court with 10 rape convictions between them after being found guilty in March.
They were given youth rehabilitation orders. The two older boys received three-year orders with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance while the youngest got an 18-month order. Judge Nicholas Rowland told them none needed to go to prison that day and emphasised their young ages when explaining the orders.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the case distressing for everybody and said questions remained about the sentence. Attorney General Lord Hermer acted swiftly under the unduly lenient scheme, noting the girls' immense bravery in coming forward despite an epidemic of violence against women and girls.
Gisèle Pelicot, the French rape survivor, said she was deeply shocked the boys gained freedom while victims suffer so hard they may never heal. She saluted the victims' strength and courage. Videos circulatingon TikTokfrom Sky News have described the victims as 'living in a prison' of ongoing trauma while the boys avoid custody.
Teenagers who were spared jail over the rape of two girls will have their sentences reviewed after a judge initially said he wanted to "avoid criminalising" them. On This Is Why, Gareth Barlow discusses the case with Professor Susan Edwards and Rob Powell. 🎧 Tap the link in our bio to listen to the podcast in full.#ThisIsWhy#Crime#Police#Hampshire#UK
Source: International Business Times UK
