Boy rapists given custody sentences by Court of Appeal
BBC News 2026-07-02 16:18:44
Context: In Fordingbridge, Hampshire, three teenage boys, X, Y, and Z, were convicted of raping two teenage girls, C1 and C2, on separate occasions. The Court of Appeal quashed the initial non-custodial sentences for X and Y, handing them four-year detention sentences, while Z's sentence remained unchanged. The case drew widespread criticism and attention from politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who described it as "an appalling case".
Key Facts
- Two teenage boys, X and Y, aged 14 at the time of the offenses, were given four-year detention sentences by the Court of Appeal for raping two teenage girls, C1 and C2, in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, after their initial non-custodial sentences were deemed "unduly lenient".
- The Court of Appeal found that trial judge, Judge Nicholas Rowland, had "erred in his assessment of the seriousness of the offences", which included 10 rape offenses committed by the three boys, X, Y, and Z.
- Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr stated that had X and Y been adults, sentences in excess of 10 years would have been required, but they will not serve the full four years due to 231 days already served on curfew.
- The victims, C1 and C2, were raped on separate occasions, with C1 being raped by X and Y in an underpass near the River Avon in Fordingbridge in November 2024, and C2 being raped by X and Y in a recreation ground in Fordingbridge in January 2025.
- The Court of Appeal also handed X and Y a lifelong restraining order prohibiting them from contacting the victims, while Z, who filmed one of the attacks, did not have his sentence changed and was given an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order.