Two teenage boys found guilty of rape in Fordingbridge, a town in southeastern England, have been sentenced to four years in detention after an appeals court determined on Thursday that their earlier sentencing was too lenient.
The case had drawn national attention and ignited calls for tougher punishment when the boys received no prison time at their initial sentencing in May, instead being placed under intensive surveillance, electronic tagging and a rehabilitation order.
“This was a difficult sentencing exercise, given the number and the seriousness of the offenses, but also the ages and vulnerabilities of very young children,” said Justice Sue Carr, who delivered the sentence in the Court of Appeal on Thursday. The case was appealed by Richard Hermer, the attorney general for England and Wales, following public outrage over the initial decision.
Justice Carr said that while the initial sentencing judge had carried out “careful sentencing,” it was ultimately unduly lenient. It is unclear where exactly the teenagers will be held, but minors in England and Wales are detained in specialized, age-appropriate secure centers.
The two boys, who cannot be named because of their ages, were also given indefinite restraining orders on Thursday barring them from ever contacting the victims. They were both 14 when they attacked one girl in November 2024 and another in January 2025, and are now 15.
A third boy, who was 13 at the time of the attacks, was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rape of the second victim and filming parts of the attack, although he did not touch the victim himself. His earlier sentence of an 18-month rehabilitation order was not changed.
Prosecutors said that in the November 2024 attack, a 15-year-old girl was led to an underpass near the town after arranging to meet one of the boys. Another boy was there, without her prior knowledge, and both boys raped her.
The attack was filmed, and the footage was later shared online. The two teenage boys carried out a second attack in January 2025 on a 14-year-old girl. The second attack was filmed by the third boy.
The two boys who had their sentences increased were initially given three-year Youth Rehabilitation Orders, which are served in the community and considered an alternative to custodial sentences for young people between the ages of 10 and 17. They were told they would be subject to intensive supervision and surveillance for 180 days, and would receive specialist “harmful sexual behavior intervention” — a program aimed at preventing reoffending in the future.
The judge who handed down the new sentence on Thursday criticized “inaccurate reporting” on the case and said there had been “misinformed and inappropriate commentary” from members of Parliament and the media, according to the BBC.
She criticized the Crown Prosecution Service for a news release that she said did not provide a “fair representation” of the case and included details that “portrayed the offending as even more serious than it already was,” including the claim that one victim was raped at knife-point. That was untrue, but the prosecution service did not revise its news release for weeks, she said.
The judge noted that the details of the case were complex. Both victims “had consensual sexual activity with at least one of the offenders prior to the offenses taking place.” The second teenage boy has developmental and learning disabilities.
Sentencing for children in England and Wales focuses on preventing future crimes by prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment, according to sentencing guidelines.
At the original sentencing in May, the judge referred to this, saying: “Custodial sentences must be a last resort for all children and young people.”
But the harrowing details of the attacks raised questions about whether that was the wrong approach, particularly after the victims in the case spoke with the BBC and detailed their experiences. The younger victim, who spoke anonymously after the initial sentencing, said she feared running into her attackers.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking to reporters in May, said the case was distressing and that referring it to the appeals court was “clearly the right outcome.”
Mr. Hermer, the attorney general, said that he welcomed the court’s decision to increase the sentences for the two teenagers. “No one should have to endure what the victims went through, and I commend their bravery in coming forward and campaigning for justice,” he said.
A statement from the family of one of the victims, which was read outside the court on Thursday, said they welcomed the decision and that “justice has finally been done.” The family of the second victim, in a written statement, said, “While no sentence can undo the trauma she has endured, today’s decision gives us a greater sense that justice has been served.”
Steph Roberts-Bibby, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board, the agency that is responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales, said: “We respect the independence of the judiciary in determining that, in this instance, a custodial sentence was necessary to reflect the gravity of these offenses for two of the three boys. I also hope that it provides some degree of solace for the victims.”
