Starmer Intervenes on Lenient Rape Sentences in Fordingbridge Case
Sir Keir Starmer referred to the Court of Appeal the non-custodial sentences given to three teenage boys who raped two girls in Fordingbridge, with Attorney General Lord Hermer citing the victims' 'immense bravery.' Britain broke its May heat record for a second day -- 35.1C at Kew, 32.3C in Cardiff -- with six amber health alerts and rail delays. Starmer also vowed to move 'very, very quickly' on social-media limits for under-16s, and a Sudanese man admitted piloting a boat in which four Channel migrants drowned.
The day's defining story was a justice reckoning. Sir Keir Starmer said the sentences handed to three teenage boys spared custody for raping two girls in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, would be referred to the Court of Appeal, calling the case "distressing" and saying "there are questions about the sentence." The girls, then 15 and 14, were attacked in separate incidents in late 2024 and early 2025; the boys -- two then aged 14 and one 13 -- filmed the assaults and shared footage online, yet left Southampton Crown Court with youth rehabilitation orders and 10 rape convictions between them after Judge Nicholas Rowland told them, "None of you need to go to prison today." One victim said the decision felt like "a rock straight in my face." Attorney General Lord Hermer confirmed the referral after an urgent review, citing the girls' "immense bravery" and "an epidemic of violence against women and girls," while French survivor Gisele Pelicot, speaking at the Hay Festival, saluted their courage.
The weather set its own records. The Met Office confirmed Britain's hottest May day for the second day running, with a provisional 35.1C at Kew Gardens surpassing Monday's 34.8C, and Wales setting a new May high of 32.3C at Cardiff's Bute Park. Six amber heat-health alerts remained in force across much of England until Thursday, and rail services ran late under heat-related speed restrictions.
Starmer also turned to children's online safety, pledging to act "very, very quickly" on new limits as the government's consultation closed with more than 81,000 responses. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said measures for under-16s would arrive by the end of 2026, though campaigners remained split between an outright ban and warnings that a "cliff edge" could push children into unregulated spaces.
In the courts, Alnour Mohamed Ali, a 27-year-old Sudanese national, pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to endangering life after four migrants -- two men and two women -- drowned at Equihen-Plage near Boulogne-sur-Mer while trying to board a small boat on 9 April. Ali admitted piloting the vessel and will be sentenced on 10 June.