Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has urged a review of rape sentencing guidelines, citing a rise in sexual offences committed by children against children with an average attacker age of 14, according to reports.. The call follows the case of two Hampshire girls raped by teenage boys who received youth rehabilitation orders instead of custodial sentences, sparking national outrage. Attorney General Lord Hermer has referred the sentences to the Court of Appeal, praising the victims' bravery.

The Fordingbridge Case: Judge's Praise and No Custody

In the Fordingbridge case that triggered the latest wave of anger, trial judge Nicholas Rowland praised the teenage attackers' behavior at trial and said he wanted to avoid 'criminalizing' them, according to the source.. The boys were convicted of raping two girls but were bound only by youth rehabilitation orders. One of the victims, a 15-year-old girl, has spoken out saying she can still feel her attackers' hands on her and questioning why they were not criminalized. The case is one of at least three recent instances where teenage boys convicted of rape received no custodial sentence, the report says.

Lord Hermer's Referral and Political Pressure from Tories

Attorney General Lord Hermer has referred the Fordingbridge sentences to the Court of Appeal, calling the victims 'brave' for coming forward, as reported. Separately, two senior Conservative politicians have written to Justice Secretary David Lammy, criticizing the trial judge's use of personal information about the gang of rapists and his decision not to jail them . This political prssure adds to the urgency of Phillips' call for a sentencing review.

Jess Phillips: 'Perpetrators' Needs Prioritized Over Victims'

Phillips argued that victims are being asked to prioritize their attackers' rehabilitation over their own justice, according to the source. She pointed to the Southport Inquiry, where a child committed a 'terrible and heinous crime', as reinforcing the trend. Phillips has called for early intervention education programs and youth justice measures as a prevention tool, rather than relying solely on punishment.

What Remains Unclear: Sentencing Consistency and Prevention Effectiveness

The source does not detail how often such lenient sentences occur nationally,nor whether the existing guidelines explicitly allow judges to avoid custody for juvenile rapists. It also leaves open the question of whether early intervention programs, as Phillips advocates, have proven effective at reducing child-on-child sex offences. Victims and campaigners continue to call for both justice and prevention, but concrete data on the scale of the problem remains sparse.