Two boys convicted of raping two teenage girls in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, have been given four years' detention after their non-custodial sentences were overturned at the Court of Appeal. The decision followed a review initiated after the initial sentences were deemed unduly lenient by Attorney General Lord Hermer.

Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr stated that the court had no alternative but to change the sentences, explaining that the trial judge, Judge Nicholas Rowland, had erred in his assessment of the seriousness of the offences. The offenders, referred to as X and Y due to anonymity granted because of their young age, joined the hearing via video link.

The court concluded that sentences of detention for X and Y were unavoidable, with Baroness Carr telling them they had raped two girls on two different occasions, appeared to be enjoying it, and egged each other on, exacerbating the harm by filming the attacks. She noted that if the offenders had been adults, sentences exceeding 10 years would have been required.

Both boys have already served 231 days on curfew, which will count towards their four-year sentences. They were also issued lifelong restraining orders prohibiting contact with the victims. It is understood that the offenders intend to appeal the Court of Appeal's revised sentencing decision.

The mother of one of the victims, identified as Jazmine, expressed that while the new sentence is an improvement, it does not adequately reflect the lifetime of trauma her daughter will endure. She stated that while grateful for the increased sentence, "nothing will ever be enough for the trauma caused to her daughter."

A third boy, referred to as Z, convicted of rape for filming one of the attacks, had his sentence unchanged. Baroness Carr explained that due to his "very young" age, the court decided not to alter his original sentence.

In a statement read by barrister Charlotte Proudman, the family of victim C1, also referred to as Jazmine, described their experience as a "nightmare that no family should ever have to endure." They acknowledged that the judgment "cannot erase what our daughter has suffered but it does acknowledge the seriousness of these offences."

Jazmine herself shared her feelings of being "the one who has been sentenced" and living in a "prison" despite being the victim. She expressed deep and lasting harm, stating, "I do not think I will ever be the same."