Fordingbridge boy rapists given custody sentences by Court of Appeal

In a statement read out by barrister Charlotte Proudman following the appeal court ruling, the family of victim C1 – who has been referred to as Jazmine (not her real name) – said that they had lived through “a nightmare that no family should ever have to endure”.

They added: “Today’s judgement cannot erase what our daughter has suffered but it does acknowledge the seriousness of these offences.”

She also read the words of Jazmine, who said: “I feel like I am the one who has been sentenced, I feel like I am the one living in a prison even though I did nothing wrong.”

“What happened to me has left me harmed so severely that I do not think I will ever be the same,” she said.

The statement continued: “We also wish to thank Laura Kuennesburg and the BBC for giving us a platform to be heard. Attorney general Lord Hermer for swiftly recognising the need for this appeal.”

Jazmine’s family have set up the Stronger Than Silence Foundation – a charity providing support to survivors of sexual violence and their families.

In a statement, the family of the victim C2 said the original sentences had been “devastating”.

“[They] left us feeling that the harm caused to our daughter had not been fully recognised.

“While no sentence can undo the trauma she has endured, today’s decision gives us a greater sense that justice has been served and that those responsible have been held properly accountable.

“We are immensely proud of our daughter’s courage and strength throughout this long and difficult process.”

Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing

At the time of the rapes, X and Y were 14 and Z was 13. They were convicted of 10 rape offences between them.

When Judge Nicholas Rowland passed the initial sentences at Southampton Crown Court in May, there was an outcry from the girls and their families as well as from politicians. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described it as “an appalling case”.

In her statement, Carr said Rowland had carried out a “careful sentencing exercise” but the non-custodial sentences for X and Y were “unduly lenient” as they did not take full account of the psychological harm caused to both victims.

Rowland had given X and Y three-year Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YRO) with 180 days of intensive surveillance and supervision.

Z, now 14, was given an 18-month YRO.

All three boys were also made subject to a three-month curfew and given a restraining order for 10 years not to contact their victims.

One of the girls – C1 – was 15 when she was raped by X and Y in November 2024 at an underpass near a river in Fordingbridge after first engaging in some consensual sexual activity with X. Parts of the rape were filmed.

The second girl – C2, who was 14 – was raped by X and Y in January 2025 in a recreation ground in Fordingbridge. Again there had been some consensual sexual activity before the rape began and, again, parts of the rape were filmed, this time by boy Z.

During the appeal hearing, the Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr criticised the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for putting out an inaccurate press release suggesting a knife was involved in the rapes.