Girl raped by boys spared jail tells BBC judge's decision was like 'rock in my face'

A miss who was raped by 2 teenage boys has told the BBC that a judge's determination to spare them jailhouse sentences was similar a "rock consecutive successful my face".

Speaking exclusively to Laura Kuenssberg, the girl, present 16, said: 'What was the constituent successful putting maine done that?"

The girl, who spoke anonymously alongside her family, said the judge's determination "almost made it look arsenic if what the boys did was not OK, but it was OK successful the eyes of the instrumentality due to the fact that they were inactive children".

The lawyer wide is to reappraisal the condemnation fixed by Judge Nicholas Rowland, who had said connected Thursday helium wanted to debar "criminalising" the "very young" boys.

Warning: This communicative contains details immoderate whitethorn find distressing

The teen was 15 erstwhile she was raped successful an underpass by the River Avon successful Fordingbridge, Hampshire.

She had travelled to conscionable 1 of the boys for the archetypal clip successful November 2024 aft helium had begun a "relationship" with her connected societal media level Snapchat.

The 2 defendants, who are present 15, were besides convicted of attacking a 2nd victim, who was raped successful a tract successful January 2025. Another boy, present 14, was besides convicted for his engagement successful the 2nd attack.

The boys filmed the rapes connected their phones and aboriginal shared immoderate of the footage online.

At the sentencing proceeding astatine Southampton Crown Court, the justice stressed the "seriousness" of the crimes and said the filming of the assaults made them adjacent "more serious". After making the comments astir their age, helium praised the boys for however they had behaved during the trial.

But the miss and her household privation the sentences to beryllium changed, and the boys sent to jail, saying the sentences amounted to a "slap connected the wrist".

The lawyer wide volition person 28 days to determine whether the sentences should beryllium referred to the Court of Appeal.

The girl's parent appealed straight to the premier minister, saying: "Please help. If it was your daughter, your niece, your son, your nephew, your household member, would you beryllium happy?

"Because we're not blessed and I don't deliberation immoderate different subordinate of the nationalist volition beryllium blessed too. So you're successful a presumption of powerfulness to help, truthful delight help."

Her mother's partner, who was successful tribunal with her erstwhile the sentences were handed down, said he'd felt "physically sick", erstwhile helium heard the judge's decision.

He said: "It seems to maine similar the victims are the ones suffering and the perpetrators are the ones that person seemingly got distant scot-free."

In the sentencing hearing, 1 of the 15-year-olds was fixed a three-year younker rehabilitation bid (YRO) with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance for the rape of each of the 2 girls and 2 indecent images charges.

The different 15-year-old was fixed the aforesaid condemnation for 3 charges of rape against each of the victims and 4 counts of taking indecent images.

The 14-year-old lad was fixed an 18-month YRO for charges of rape successful the January 2025 onslaught by encouraging 1 of the different defendants.

The Attorney General's bureau and Downing Street person been contacted for comment.