Court of Appeal to review sentencing of two teenage boys spared jail in rape case

• The sentences of two 15-year-old boys, convicted of raping two girls in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal.
• The boys were given non-custodial sentences, including youth rehabilitation orders and intensive supervision and surveillance, from a judge at Southampton Crown Court.
• This decision sparked widespread criticism from the victims, politicians, and campaigners, who deemed the sentences too lenient.
• The Prime Minister announced that the Attorney General has referred the case for review, saying it was “clearly the right outcome” given questions about the leniency of the sentences.
• Politicians, including Sir Keir Starmer and government minister Darren Jones, expressed their distress over the case and emphasised the need for justice for the victims.

IN FULL

Teenage rapists’ sentences to be reviewed by Court of Appeal after backlash, Starmer says