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

A girl who was raped by two teenage boys has told the BBC that a judge's decision to spare them jail sentences was like a "rock straight in my face". Speaking exclusively to Laura Kuenssberg, the girl, now 16, said: "What was the point in putting me through that?" 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". The attorney general is to review the youth rehabilitation order sentences given by Judge Nicholas Rowland, who had said on Thursday he wanted to avoid "criminalising" the "very young" boys. Responding to this interview, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was "a harrowing and brave testimony". "The girls at the heart of this case have shown extraordinary bravery and strength in heinous circumstances," he said. "This is an appalling case and it is right that law officers are urgently reviewing the sentences." Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing The teenager was 15 when she was raped in an underpass by the River Avon in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. She had travelled to meet one of the boys

May 24, 2026 → May 24, 2026