The sentences of boys spared custody over the rape of two girls in Hampshire will be referred to the Court of Appeal, the prime minister has said.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "There are questions about the sentence. The attorney general has power to refer a case to the Court of Appeal if they thought the sentence is too lenient". He added that power had been "now exercised" which was "clearly the right outcome".

Two girls, then aged 15 and 14, were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025, by two 14-year-olds. Another boy, then 13, was also convicted for his involvement in the second attack.

The attorney general, Lord Hemer, said government would not stand by while there was what he called "an epidemic of violence against women and girls in this country".

The teenagers were given youth rehabilitation orders (YRO) and walked out of court with 10 rape convictions between them.

Asked about the case during a visit to East Sussex on Monday, the prime minister said: "I think it's a really distressing case. I think it's distressing for everybody to see, to hear about."

He praised the "courage" of the victims but said he found the case "distressing as a politician" and "as a father".

Lord Hermer said: "There has understandably been a huge amount of public interest and concern at this horrific case.

"I directed my officials to work urgently to allow me to consider this decision swiftly, and to begin to bring closure to the victims and their families.

"It is clear to me from their powerful personal statements that these girls have displayed immense bravery in coming forward.

"There is an epidemic of violence against women and girls in this country, and this government will not hesitate in taking action to ensure all women and girls feel safe and have confidence in the justice system."

One of the victims told the BBC that the judge's decision to spare the boys jail sentences was like a "rock straight in my face".

The girl, who spoke anonymously alongside her family, said the judge's decision "almost made it seem as if what the boys did was not OK, but it was OK in the eyes of the law because they were still children".

French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot told the BBC she "saluted the strength" and courage of one of the young girls for speaking out after the attack.

After headlining this year's Hay Festival, an arts and literary festival in Wales, Pelicot told BBC Breakfast she was "deeply shocked that these individuals were in fact able to gain their freedom again when in fact the victims are suffering so hard they will never be able to heal".

The boys, who cannot be named because they are children, had denied the charges but were found guilty in March after a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

Explaining his sentencing decision on Thursday, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: "I should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily and understand the effects of their behaviour and support their reintegration into society."

The judge stressed the seriousness of the crimes and said the filming of the assaults made them even more serious.

He then emphasised their very young ages and said: "None of you need to go to prison today."

Two of the boys' mothers burst into tears as the sentence was read out.

The first girl was 15 when she was raped three times in an underpass by the River Avon in Fordingbridge.

The girl was pressured into having sex while being filmed and feared she might be thrown into a river if she did not comply with their wishes, prosecutors added.

The second girl was 14 when she met the boys at Fordingbridge Recreation Ground and was raped repeatedly in a nearby field.

A defendant pushed her down and used a knife to cut her clothing before forcing himself on her.

The boys filmed the attacks on their phones and shared some of the footage online.

The footage showed the second victim lying motionless on the ground with "her face buried in her hands", while the video taker egged him on, the prosecutor said.

The girls were "significantly outnumbered" and suffered prolonged ordeals, the court heard.

Judges never publicly comment on cases they oversee because to do so would potentially undermine the words they have used in court but they always have to show in court the reasons why they have sentenced a defendant the way they did.

Anyone can complain that a sentence is too short. That complaint goes to the attorney general - a cabinet minister and the government's top legal adviser.

The attorney general asks top prosecutors to advise whether it is in line with expectations, taking into account the discretion that judges have, or completely at odds with what would have happened in comparable cases.

If the attorney general concludes the sentence was out of line, he will refer it to the Court of Appeal where three senior judges will look at what happened in a public hearing and rule on whether the sentence was right or unduly lenient.

The French rape survivor praises the bravery of a young girl for coming forward following the incidents in Fordingbridge.

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