Gisèle Pelicot, the French rape survivor who became central to one of the country's most high-profile sexual violence trials, has said she is 'deeply shocked' by a UK court decision not to jail three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls in Hampshire, England, in 2024 and 2025. Pelicot's reaction comes after the boys were instead given youth rehabilitation orders, a decision now under review by the attorney general.
The comments were made in an interview with the BBC shortly after Pelicot appeared at the Hay Festival in Wales. Her reaction raises fresh questions on how courts in England and Wales handle serious sexual offences committed by minors, particularly where rehabilitation is prioritised over custodial sentences.
