Sentences of boys spared custody over Hampshire rape referred to Court of Appeal, PM says

Sentences of boys spared custody over Hampshire rape referred to Court of Appeal, PM saysThe sentences of boys spared custody over the rape of two girls in Hampshire will be referred to the Court of Appeal, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "There are questions about the sentence. The attorney general has power to refer a case to the Court of Appeal if the attorney general thinks that the sentence is too lenient".

He added that the attorney general had "now exercised that power" which was "clearly the right outcome".

Two girls, then aged 15 and 14, were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025, by two 14-year-olds. Another boy, then 13, was also convicted for his involvement in the second attack.

The teenagers were given youth rehabilitation orders (YRO) and walked out of court with 10 rape convictions between them.

Asked about the case during a visit to East Sussex on Monday, the prime minister said: "I think it's a really distressing case. I think it's distressing for everybody to see, to hear about."

He praised the "courage" of the victims but said he found the case "distressing as a politician and "as a father".

French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot told the BBC she was "deeply shocked" by the sentences and said she "saluted the strength" and courage of one of the young girls for speaking out after the attack.

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