Teenage boys sentenced for raping lone girls

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Teenage boys sentenced for raping lone girlsJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleNikki MitchellSouth of England home affairs correspondent, Southampton Crown CourtCrown Prosecution ServiceOne of the girls was attacked in an underpass beside the River AvonThree teenage boys who raped two lone girls in separate attacks have been sentenced. Prosecutors said the assaults in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in 2024 and 2025, were "brazenly filmed" on mobile phones, with footage showing the boys laughing and verbally encouraging each other. Two 15-year-old boys and a boy, 14, were previously convicted of rape following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

The 15-year-olds were given three-year Youth Rehabilitation Orders with intensive surveillance and supervision. The younger boy's probation supervision will be for one and half years. Two of the boys' mothers burst into tears as Judge Nicholas Rowland told the attackers "none of you need to go to prison today".

The Details

The judge praised the bravery of the two girls for giving evidence. Crown Prosecution ServiceThe second girl was 14 when she was attacked at Fordingbridge Recreation GroundWarning: This story contains details some may find distressingThe victim of the first attack was 15 when she was raped three times in an underpass by the River Avon in Fordingbridge, during what she had thought was a first date. She had travelled from her home to meet one of the boys for the first time after he had begun a "relationship" with her on social media platform Snapchat, but then two other boys appeared.

During the trial the court heard she was "petrified", felt "cornered and trapped" and feared being thrown into the river. The boys shared video of the attacks on social media, resulting in her receiving abusive messages, prosecutors said. The second girl was 14 when she met the boys at Fordingbridge Recreation Ground, was threatened with a knife, then raped three times in a nearby field.

No knife was found, but forensic evidence revealed her leggings had been cut with a "sharp instrument". Video footage seen in court during the trial showed her lying motionless on the ground with "her face buried in her hands", while another boy was heard shouting words of encouragement. Two of the boys were 14 when they carried out the rapes and the third was 13.

The attackers, who cannot be named because of their ages, were convicted of rape even in circumstances where they aided and abetted another boy to carry out the attack. The Crown Prosecution Service warned that rapes and sexual assaults involving young people were "on the increase". Speaking before sentencing, senior prosecutor Siobhan Blake said: "There is a real part for all of us to play as citizens to make sure that we have really clear conversations with our teens about misogynistic attitudes and push back really hard on those.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.