Two British teenagers convicted of rape have been ordered to serve custodial sentences after an appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that allowed them to avoid detention.
The pair, both aged 15, were originally handed three-year youth rehabilitation orders in May by Judge Nicholas Rowland, who said he wanted to “avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”.
The decision triggered widespread public criticism, prompting the Attorney General, Richard Hermer, to refer the case to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the punishment appeared “unduly lenient”.
The boys were found guilty of raping two girls, aged 14 and 15, in separate attacks in Hampshire in November 2024 and January 2025. Videos of both assaults were later circulated online.
Overturning the original sentences on Thursday, Judge Sue Carr ruled that the offences warranted detention and imposed four-year youth detention terms on both teenagers.
“What you did was so bad that we have no other choice,” she said, addressing them by video link.
A third teenager, who was convicted of encouraging one of the rapes during the second incident, will continue to serve his original non-custodial sentence.
Relatives of the victims welcomed the appeal court’s decision.
“While nothing can undo our family’s anguish, this outcome brings a greater sense of justice and accountability,” one of the families said.
The family of the second victim also expressed relief at the outcome.
“We are relieved that the court has recognised the seriousness of these offences.
“The original sentences were devastating for the family and left us feeling that the harm caused to our daughter had not been fully recognised,” they added.
They said that although the prison terms could not erase the lasting impact of the attacks, “today’s decision gives us a greater sense that justice has been served”.
French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot had also condemned the initial ruling during a visit to Britain.
She told the BBC she was “deeply shocked that these individuals were in fact able to gain their freedom again when in fact the victims are suffering so hard they will never be able to heal”.
Pelicot became an international symbol in the fight against sexual violence after waiving her right to anonymity during the 2024 trial in which her former husband and dozens of other men were convicted of raping her while she was unconscious.
Because they are under 18, the two teenagers will begin serving their sentences in youth detention facilities rather than adult prisons.
