A girl who was raped by two teenagers told the BBC that the judge’s decision to spare them prison was “like someone hit her in the head with a rock”. In an exclusive interview, the now 16-year-old girl, who spoke anonymously with the support of her family, asked the question: “What was the point of going through all that?”
The Attorney General will examine the ruling by Judge Nicholas Rowland, who said on Thursday that he wanted to avoid “criminalizing” very young boys, writes the BBC.
The girl said that because of the judge’s decision, “it almost seems as if what the boys did was not right, but from the point of view of the law, it is acceptable because they are still children.” She and her family are asking for the sentence to be changed and the perpetrator to go to prison, stating that the sentences imposed are only “a light slap on the fingers”. The Attorney General has 28 days to decide whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.
Filmed the rapes and shared them on the internet
The teenager was 15 when she was raped in an underpass by the River Avon in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. In November 2024, she traveled to meet one of the boys for the first time, after he started communicating with her via the Snapchat social network.
Two defendants, who are now 15 years old, were also convicted of assaulting another victim, who was raped in a field in January 2025. A third boy, now 14, was also convicted for his part in the second attack. The boys filmed the rapes with their cell phones, and later shared some of the footage on the Internet.
The judge praised the boy’s behavior during the trial
At the sentencing hearing at Southampton Crown Court, the judge highlighted the “seriousness” of the crimes, adding that filming the attacks made them even more “serious”. After emphasizing their young ages, he praised the boys for their behavior during the trial.
A 15-year-old was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order with 180 days of intensive supervision for raping both girls and two counts of possessing inappropriate images. Another 15-year-old received the same sentence for three counts of raping each victim and four counts of taking inappropriate images.
A 14-year-old boy was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order for inciting rape in the January 2025 attack.
Family: “Would you be happy if that was your daughter?”
The girl’s mother addressed the prime minister directly. “Please help. If it was your daughter, niece, son, nephew or a member of your family, would you be happy? Because we are not happy, and I don’t think anyone else in the public will be either. You are in a position of power and you can help, so please do it,” she said. Her partner, who was with her in court, said he was “physically ill” when he heard the decision. “It seems that the victims are suffering, and the perpetrators seem to have gotten away with it,” he added.
A government spokesman said: “We share the public’s shock at the details of this horrific case and our thoughts are with the young victims at this difficult time. Legal officials are urgently reviewing the case with the utmost care.”
(TYPE/Source: Index.hr/Photo: Screenshot: BBC)
