Teenagers Given Lenient Sentences for Rape of Schoolgirl
A group of teenagers in Britain, accused of filming themselves raping a schoolgirl, has received no prison time. Two 14-year-old boys reportedly targeted a 15-year-old girl via Snapchat before assaulting her in an underpass. A press release from the Crown Prosecution Service notes that two months later, one of the boys along with a 13-year-old accomplice committed a gang rape against another schoolgirl at knifepoint. The attackers filmed the incident and appeared to laugh during the assault, according to reports.
All the involved teenagers, who reportedly belong to Britain’s “Traveller community,” were found guilty of rape in March. Additionally, two older boys faced charges for taking indecent images of children related to the recorded assault.
Despite the convictions, the judge decided to impose youth rehabilitation orders instead of prison sentences. Judge Nicholas Rowland commented on the situation, stating that while one of the boys should be imprisoned, he was prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment, citing peer pressure as a significant factor in their actions.
The two older boys, now aged 15, received three-year youth rehabilitation orders and 180 days of intensive supervision. The third boy, now 14, was given an 18-month rehabilitation order. All three were also placed under three-month curfews and 10-year restraining orders to prevent them from contacting the victims.
The jury found the first teenager guilty of two counts of rape and one count of taking indecent photographs, while the second was convicted on six counts of rape, and the third on two counts.
Hampshire and White Island Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones expressed that the sentences were too lenient and did little to comfort the victims. She voiced her concern that the teens felt emboldened to commit such a horrific act and share it online without facing jail time, emphasizing that the leniency of the sentences seemed to prioritize rehabilitation over accountability.
