The review of a judge's decision not to jail three teenagers for raping two girls 'is about far more than increasing a sentence', the barrister for one of the victims has said.
Two 15-year-old boys walked free from court after a judge said he wanted to 'avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily' over two separate attacks in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in November 2024 and January 2025. A third boy, aged 14, was also spared jail over his involvement in the second attack and an indecent images offence.
The sentences ignited widespread public anger and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer quickly announced the 'distressing' case would be sent to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
Charlotte Proudman, who will be representing one of the girls at that hearing, told Metro she was 'absolutely stunned' by the decision to let the boys walk free from court despite the 10 rape convictions between them. They were given youth rehabilitation orders ranging from 18 months to three years, which will expire before the defendants reach their 20s.
'To watch convicted rapists walk out of court after being found guilty of multiple rapes is something most people would struggle to comprehend,' Dr Proudman said. 'Whatever their age, rape is rape. The message this risks sending is that even the most serious sexual violence against girls does not justify imprisonment.'
The sentences will be considered by senior judges at a two-day hearing starting on July 1.
This Is Not Right
On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women. With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency. You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.
Dr Proudman said: 'The Court of Appeal hearing is about far more than increasing a sentence. It is about trying to restore faith in the justice system, recognising the devastating impact these offences have had, and showing survivors that their suffering matters. This case should never become just another sentencing exercise. It is about the girls whose lives have been changed forever.'
The judge in the original trial at Southampton Crown Court, Nicholas Rowland, split the sentencing hearing into two parts, dealing first with the boys and then the legal matters with their barristers. A transcript of the hearing shows he did not use the word 'rape' once while the three defendants were in court. Instead, he referred to the attacks as 'the serious things that you did'.
Of the judge's failure to name the offence a jury convicted them of, Dr Proudman said: 'The silence was deafening. If a judge cannot even call rape by its name in a courtroom, we risk sanitising one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. Words matter. Victims deserve to hear the truth spoken plainly, and offenders should hear exactly what they have been convicted of. They were old enough to rape, so they were old enough to hear the word.'
The transcript also reveals two of the boys were judged to be of 'high risk of serious harm' to young females and their crimes crossed the custody threshold. But Rowland added that 'in light of the guidelines relating to children I am not bound to impose immediate custody', telling the teenagers: 'None of you need to go to prison today.'
The young girl Dr Proudman is now representing said afterwards the judge's words 'hit like a rock straight in my face', while the other said she is plagued by flashbacks and struggles to sleep at night.
'We have worked together closely to prepare a powerful Victim Personal Statement for the Court of Appeal so that her voice is heard. For too long, the spotlight has been on the offenders. It is time to put the victims back at the centre of the justice system, where they belong. Justice is not just about punishing perpetrators, it is about recognising the lifelong impact on those they have harmed.'
Jurors at the teenagers' trial were told that the first victim, who was 15 at the time, had visited one of the defendants after meeting him on Snapchat. The prosecutor said that after performing sex acts on the boy, who was then 14, she became 'scared and anxious' when the second defendant arrived, and the pair raped her while the incident was filmed. Afterwards, videos of the incident had been sent around and other people made jokes about her, and she received messages calling her a 'slag'.
The victim in the January incident, who was 14 at the time, was raped in a field near to Fordingbridge recreation ground while the incident was also filmed.
