Prime Minister Confirms Court of Appeal to Review Lenient Sentences for Fordingbridge Teenage Rapists

The Prime Minister has confirmed that the sentences of three teenage boys, spared custody for the rape of two girls in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, will be referred to the Court of Appeal.

The Attorney General has exercised the power to refer the case, which Sir Keir Starmer stated was "clearly the right outcome" given questions surrounding the leniency of the original sentences.

In separate incidents in November 2024 and January 2025, two 14-year-old boys raped girls then aged 15 and 14. A third boy, then 13, was also convicted for his involvement in the second attack. Despite 10 rape convictions between them, the teenagers were given youth rehabilitation orders and avoided custodial sentences.

During a visit to East Sussex, the Prime Minister described the case as "distressing for everybody to see, to hear about," acknowledging the victims' "courage."

Gisèle Pelicot, a French rape survivor, expressed her "deep shock" at the sentences, noting that the perpetrators were granted freedom while the victims endure profound suffering. Presiding over the Southampton Crown Court trial in March, Judge Nicholas Rowland stated his intention to avoid "criminalising" the "very young" boys when explaining his sentencing decision.