Victim of teenage rapists ‘will never be the same’ ahead of review of sentences
The sentences of teenage rapists is set to be reviewed
One of two girls raped by teenage boys in Fordingbridge has said she does not think she “will ever be the same” and that the trial of her attackers “broke something inside me”, as the Court of Appeal is set to decide whether the boys’ non-custodial sentences are “unduly lenient”.
Jazmine – not her real name – said she feels like she has been “carrying what happened every day” since she was attacked by two boys in the Hampshire town in November 2024, when she was 15.
But they were spared custody for the offences in May, with the Attorney General Lord Hermer referring the sentences to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient” days later following public outcry. The bid to have the sentences increased is set to be heard today (Wednesday, July 1).
In a statement to the Press Association ahead of the hearing, Jazmine said the trial at Southampton Crown Court was “traumatising”.
She said: “I feel like I am carrying what happened every day. I wake up with it, I go to school with it, I try to sit exams with it, and I go to sleep with it. It is always there. I cannot just switch it off. I cannot just move on.
“The trial was horrific. It was not just difficult; it was traumatising. It made me relive what happened again and again. The trial lasted more than five-and-a-half weeks, and I had to go through giving evidence.
“When I gave evidence, I was questioned in detail about what I apparently did. I was asked about the details of what happened.”
She continued: “It was implied that I wanted it. It was implied that I was experienced in what I was doing. It was implied that I had chosen it or taken part in it.
“I cannot explain how humiliating and painful that was. I was 15 years old. I am a child who has been raped. I felt like I was being treated like I had done something wrong.
“The hardest part was being accused of lying. I knew I was telling the truth. I knew what had happened to me.
“I tried so hard to do my best whilst talking about something which has left me with such lasting pain. That broke something inside me.
“What happened to me has left me harmed so severely that I do not think I will ever be the same.”
One of the 15-year-old boys was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order (YRO) with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance for raping and taking indecent images of both victims.
The second boy received the same sentence for three charges of rape against each of the two victims and four counts of taking indecent images by filming the incidents.
The 14-year-old was given an 18-month YRO for two charges of rape related to the latter victim after encouraging the second defendant, and for an offence of indecent images.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Nicholas Rowland said the offences committed by the two 15-year-olds “crossed the custody threshold”, but he should “avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily” and added that custody was a “last resort”.
Judge Rowland explained that although the two 15-year-olds were assessed by Youth Justice Services as “medium risk” of reoffending but “high risk of serious harm” to young females, he had to consider their backgrounds.
He said the first had been diagnosed with ADHD and “long-standing anxiety” while the second had an IQ in the bottom 1%, had ADHD with “extreme neurodevelopmental impairment” and presented “more like an eight-year-old”.
But the sentences attracted criticism, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying he found the case “distressing as a politician” and “as a father”, and Lord Hermer stating that there was “an epidemic of violence against women and girls in this country”.
Jazmine’s family said in a statement ahead of Wednesday’s hearing that her life was “changed forever” by the attack and that they had “been forced to come before one of the highest courts in the country simply to ask that the seriousness of Jazmine being raped by two teenage boys is properly recognised”.
They said: “This is not only incredibly difficult for our family, but deeply re-traumatising for Jazmine, who is once again being required to relive the abuse.
“Today’s hearing is about far more than Jazmine’s case. It is about every survivor watching to see how the criminal justice system responds to the devastating harm caused by rape.
“The outcome has the potential to shape not only Jazmine’s future, but the confidence that survivors across the country have in a justice system that they look to for protection.
“Whatever the court decides, we hope no survivor is left believing they must suffer in silence or that seeking justice is simply too great a burden to bear.”
The family are currently crowdfunding to establish a foundation to support other survivors of sexual violence named Stronger than Silence.
Barrister Charlotte Proudman, founder of the law firm Proudmans representing Jazmine and other survivors of sexual violence, said: “This appeal raises important questions about the criminal justice system’s response to the lifelong impact of sexual violence for victims.
“We remain committed to standing alongside survivors and to driving reform so that our family and criminal justice systems protect, support and deliver justice for victims.”
The hearing before Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Lord Justice Edis and Ms Justice Norton – who is the head of youth justice in England and Wales – is set to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice.