Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the case as “appalling”, adding that the two girls had “shown extraordinary bravery and strength in heinous circumstances”.
The sentences given by Judge Nicholas Rowland at Southampton Crown Court to the three boys are currently being reviewed by Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer.
One of the 15-year-olds was given a three-year Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO) 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 was given the same sentence for three charges of rape against each of the victims and four counts of taking indecent images.
The 14-year-old boy was given an 18-month YRO for charges of rape in the January 2025 attack by encouraging one of the other defendants.
All three boys were also made subject to a three-month curfew and given a restraining order for 10 years not to contact their victims.
The boys would not have been sent to prison if they had been given custodial sentences. People who are aged under 18 serve custodial sentences in secure centres for children.
In his sentencing remarks last week, Judge Rowland said: “I should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily and understand the effects of their behaviour and support their reintegration into society.”
He stressed the “seriousness” of the crimes, and said the filming of the assaults made them even “more serious” – but also emphasised their “very young ages”.
“None of you need to go to prison today,” he said.
Sentencing guidelines from the Sentencing Council for England and Wales state that courts are expected to prioritise rehabilitation for children, using custody only as a last resort.
In making the sentencing decision, courts look at the seriousness of the case, alongside personal factors – such as age and maturity.
Earlier in the hearing, Judge Rowland spoke directly to one of the teenage victims and told her: “The sentence I’m about to pass cannot undo what has happened to you.
“I hope when you look back you’ll at least take some comfort that you – both of you – have shown great courage.”
The attorney general will have 28 days to decide whether the sentences should be referred to the Court of Appeal.
One of the victims, now 16, she said she and her family wanted the sentences to be changed, and the boys sent to jail, saying the sentences amounted to a “slap on the wrist”.
“Why did I sit and put myself through the pain of going to court, going through a trial, reliving everything because of evidence and watching it all happen again?” the girl asked.