Gisèle Pelicot says she is deeply shocked by lenient sentences for Hampshire rape case

French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot told the BBC she is deeply shocked that three teenage boys received youth rehabilitation orders instead of prison sentences for raping two girls in Hampshire.

Two girls, then aged 15 and 14, were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025 by two 14-year-olds. Another boy, then 13, was also convicted for his involvement in the second attack.

Judge Nicholas Rowland at Southampton Crown Court gave the sentences last week. He said he wanted to avoid criminalising the very young boys. The attorney general is reviewing the youth rehabilitation orders.

Pelicot, 73, said she saluted the strength and courage of one of the victims for speaking out. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said she was deeply shocked that the offenders gained their freedom while the victims suffer so hard they will never be able to heal.

Pelicot was at the centre of the biggest rape trial in French history. Her husband, Dominique Pelicot, was jailed for 20 years after repeatedly drugging her unconscious and inviting dozens of men to rape her.

Rape is a crime and justice has an essential role, Pelicot said. It is there to name the crimes, to recognise the suffering of victims, and to remember that they must not remain unpunished.

One of the victims, who was 15 at the time of the attack, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that the decision to spare the offenders custodial sentences was like a rock straight in my face.

Pelicot said she hoped her own story was useful for the victim to make the decision to come forward. She saluted the victim's strength and the decision she made, because it is an incredibly difficult decision.

The boys shared video of the attacks online. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the case as appalling and said the two girls had shown extraordinary bravery and strength in heinous circumstances.

One of the 15-year-olds received a three-year Youth Rehabilitation Order with 180 days of intensive supervision and surveillance for the rape of each of the two girls and two indecent images charges. The other 15-year-old received the same sentence for three charges of rape against each victim and four counts of taking indecent images.

The 14-year-old boy received an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order for charges of rape in the January 2025 attack by encouraging one of the other defendants.

The attorney general will have 28 days to decide whether the sentences should be referred to the Court of Appeal. Cabinet Minister Darren Jones told the BBC he expected the decision to be made sooner. One of the victims, now 16, said she and her family want the sentences changed and the boys sent to jail.