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In a deeply concerning case that has raised questions about the treatment of juvenile offenders, three teenage boys have been convicted of violent sexual crimes yet have avoided custodial sentences. The judge at Southampton Crown Court, while acknowledging the serious nature of the boys’ actions, expressed a desire to reintegrate them into society rather than subject them to criminalisation. This decision follows two harrowing incidents where the boys, aged 13 to 14 at the time, overpowered and sexually assaulted two teenage girls, both of whom have faced significant psychological trauma as a result.
Details of the Offences
The court heard that the boys, whose identities are protected under legal stipulations, were involved in separate incidents that took place in Hampshire over the span of two months. Their crimes included rape, committed at knife-point, and
