The family of one of the Fordingbridge rape victims has said the Court of Appeal’s ruling to impose custodial sentences on the two teenage perpetrators was still not enough of a punishment.
Two 15-year-old boys received four-year detention terms yesterday for sexually assaulting two girls in the Hampshire town, after appellate judges determined their initial non-custodial sentences were “unduly lenient”.
The mother of the first victim, referred to as Jazmine to protect her identity, told The Times: “It’s amazing it’s got this far but it’s not far enough. As a mother, as a family, it can never be enough.”
However, she described the outcome of the case as an improvement, and expressed particular relief at changes to the restraining orders.
The two victims, aged 14 and 15 at the time, suffered attacks in separate incidents during November 2024 and January of the following year at the hands of the perpetrators, identified only as X and Y.
A third defendant, Z, who is now 14, was found guilty of encouraging and recording the second assault, though he did not physically participate in the attack.
The first girl, then 15, was raped near an underpass close to a river in Fordingbridge, with parts of the assault captured on film.
The younger victim, aged 14, was attacked near a recreation ground in the same town, where Z filmed parts of the second rape.
One of the girls was attacked in this underpass beside the River Avon | CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
At Southampton Crown Court in May, the teenagers avoided custody despite facing a combined ten charges of rape and seven indecent image offences, instead receiving youth rehabilitation orders.
Judge Nicholas Rowland stated at the time that whilst the crimes “crossed the custody threshold”, he wished to “avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”.
Lord Hermer, the attorney-general, subsequently referred the matter under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Lord Justice Edis and Ms Justice Norton, concluded that Judge Rowland had “undervalued the seriousness of their offending and the serious harm caused by it to the complainants”.
Addressing the defendants via video link, Baroness Carr said: “What you did was so bad that we have no other choice.”
The court also extended the restraining orders against X and Y from ten years to indefinite.
The ordeal has consumed the family for 18 months, Jazmine’s mother said, adding that the impact on her daughter would “last a lifetime”.
She expressed disappointment that the hearing was not more “victim-focused”, feeling too little attention was given to what the girls had endured.
Southampton Crown Court heard how the girl was brought to a secluded field near Fordingbridge reaction ground | CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
In response to their experience, the family established a foundation called Stronger Than Silence, aimed at supporting other victims and transforming a traumatic situation into “as positive an experience as we can”.
Jazmine’s father called for a review of judicial training, and criticised what he described as a “lack of judicial accountability”.
He added: “I think today’s decision was the fuel in the engine now. The engine just needs a driver now.”
The family confirmed their daughter was struggling, but would persevere.
The second victim had previously said the original sentence left her too frightened to leave her home, questioning why she had put herself through the ordeal only to face a dead end.
Her family released a statement on Thursday saying: “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.”
Lord Hermer welcomed the ruling, stating: “Rape is a horrifying crime, and one that our justice system should and will punish severely”, commending the victims’ bravery in coming forward and campaigning for justice.
The court heard that both X and Y are pursuing appeals against their convictions.