Teens given £26 fines after being convicted of raping girls as young as 14

Three teenage boys convicted of the rape and serious sexual assault of girls as young as 14 have been given fines of £26 (€30) each

Three teenage boys convicted of the rape and serious sexual assault of girls as young as 14 in England were given fines of £26 (€30) each and rehabilitation orders, according to information uncovered by the Guardian newspaper.

The three separate cases all took place over the past year in north-east England. They were tried under youth court rules that deal with suspects aged 17 or under and place a greater emphasis on rehabilitation than adult courts.

One victim, who was 15 when she was raped, said: “It feels like he just got away with it.” She added she was “scared” she would bump into her attacker and that such sentences would give boys like him, who were a danger to women and girls, a sense of impunity.

One justice group said the fine of £26 for rape was less than a parking fine and derisory. In one case a boy avoided prison after he was found guilty of three attacks, including a rape.

There was public anger over a case in southern England last week in which three teenage boys were given youth rehabilitation orders after two were convicted of rape and one was convicted of involvement in the attacks. The victims were two girls aged 15 and 14, who were attacked in separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire.

Those sentences have been referred to Britain's court of appeal by the attorney general, the government’s top law officer, for being unduly lenient. British prime minister Keir Starmer described the case as “appalling”.

Youth courts are normally closed to the press and public. But specialist advisers to the young girls in the three newly revealed cases were so appalled by the sentences they decided to expose the alleged lenient punishments being passed in youth courts for serious sexual offences.

In one case, a young male aged 14 at the time of his offences was found guilty of raping a victim aged 16 or over in August 2023, as well as sexual assault by penetration in August 2023 and the sexual assault of a girl aged 15 in February 2023.

He was sentenced under youth court rules in a hearing at Teesside magistrates' court on 4 December 2025 and given a youth rehabilitation order, a £26 fine, which is the court fee, and was placed on the sex offenders register for 30 months.

In another case, a boy aged 15 was convicted of a serious sexual assault against a girl aged 14. He was found guilty of sexual assault by penetration in April 2024.

The boy was sentenced in July 2025 and placed on the sex offender register for 42 months, given a youth rehabilitation order, fined £26 and given a restraining order preventing him from approaching or contacting the victim.

In another case a 17-year-old male was sentenced in September 2025 after being convicted of the rape of a girl aged 15. He was given a youth rehabilitation order, a £26 fine and a requirement to be on the sex offender register for 30 months. The convicted rapist turned 18 this month.

The victim in that case, now aged 16, told the Guardian her attacker should have been jailed. 

“I didn’t feel as though the punishment given was justice for me and what happened. He is still able to live his life normally and do what he wants. This isn’t a deterrent for others. Boys think they can do what they want so they make bad choices and take bad actions.” 

Explaining why she believed imprisonment was the right sentence, she said: “That way he would have time to reflect on what he did and it would mean this didn’t happen to anyone else because of him.” 

She was 15 when attacked by the boy, whom she knew, and said her rapist being freed by the court despite being convicted had added to her continuing trauma. 

“I am worried about bumping into this person and I am worried for other people in case he does this again after no real consequence,” she said.

“I don’t know where he is or what he is doing. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I trust people less because of this.” She added: “It would be good for the public to know the struggles with emotions this has caused and to understand the impacts on me as a young person.” She said her attacker had made a choice to rape her and should be on the sex offender register for life, not 30 months.

These cases only came to light because official victim advocates from the Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre (RSACC) covering Darlington and County Durham, who attended court to support the victims, witnessed the sentences and were horrified.

They first raised concerns within the criminal justice system but said there had been little or no sign of action. They believe radical change is urgently needed.

The Guardian