Two teenage boys convicted of raping girls aged 15 and 14 received non-custodial sentences in Southampton. A knife was used to threaten the second victim, and the assaults were filmed and later uploaded to social media. After raping one girl, two of the boys raped another girl two months later. The judge cited the offenders’ youth and issued youth rehabilitation orders instead of prison. A victim said the sentence felt like a “rock straight in my face,” questioned the point of reporting, and described the distress of the trial. The victim’s mother urged the prime minister for help, and the attorney general is expected to refer the sentences for review. The judge’s emphasis on rehabilitation and lack of deterrence are viewed as concerning given violence against women concerns.
"The decision to review the sentences of two teenage boys convicted of raping two girls, aged 15 and 14, in separate incidents in November 2024 and January 2025, and a third boy who took part in the second rape, is correct. A knife was used to threaten the second victim, and the attacks were filmed with footage later uploaded to social media. Given the severity of the crimes, and the fact that having raped one girl, two of the boys went on to rape another two months later, the non-custodial sentences handed down last week by a judge in Southampton look like a serious mistake."
"In a BBC television interview on Sunday, she said that the youth rehabilitation orders issued by the judge felt like a rock straight in my face. She said the outcome had made her question the point of reporting the crimes in the first place, and going through a distressing trial. Such comments should alarm everyone concerned with prosecuting rape. Her mother made a public plea to the prime minister: Please help."
"Most convicted rapists are sent to prison for several years. The judge in this case cited the youth of these offenders as reasons for not jailing them (two were 14 and the other 13 when the rapes were committed). But while he was right to stress the importance of rehabilitation, and young offender institutions do not have a good track record, it is extremely concerning that the impact on the victims of watching their attackers go free appears to have carried less weight."
"It is also wrong that deterrence did not feature more prominently in his reported remarks. At a time of acute concern about violence against women an"
#rape-sentencing #youth-rehabilitation-orders #victim-impact #appeal-and-referral #violence-against-women
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