Gisele Pelicot condemns “lenient justice” after boys convicted of rape avoid custody

Rape survivor Gisele Pelicot has said she is “deeply shocked” at the punishment handed down to three teenage boys who avoided jail for their roles in the rape of two girls.

Three boys, two aged 15 and one aged 14, were given youth rehabilitation orders after the girls, 14 and 15, were raped in two separate incidents in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in November 2024 and January 2025.

The two older boys were also made subject to intensive supervision and surveillance (ISS) after committing what police described as "terrifying acts," which left one of the victims telling the court: "All I want to do is die."

The crime has sparked national outrage, with the punishment widely criticized for being “too lenient.”

When quizzed on the case, Pelicot said she was "deeply shocked that these individuals were in fact able to gain their freedom again when in fact the victims are suffering so hard they will never be able to heal."

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

Pelicot also “saluted the strength" and courage of one of the young girls for speaking out after the attack.

It comes as the government has said it is urgently reviewing the “unduly lenient" sentences given to the boys spared jail over the rape.

Speaking to LBC, Shadow National Security and Safeguarding Minister Alicia Kearns said she is "relieved" the Attorney General is reviewing the case.

She added: "But this is a result of the public speaking out and recognizing this was an appalling, appalling miscarriage of justice."

She said the initial outcome has left her with "serious questions" about the public’s confidence in the justice system.

Last year, Pelicot, now 73, was at the center of the biggest rape trial in French history.

Her former husband Dominique was accused of drugging her unconscious and inviting dozens of strangers from the internet to come to their house and rape her over a decade.

He was eventually jailed for 20 years following a trial which shook France.

The case has once again brought the role of social media into question – after the boys shared a video of the appalling attacks online.

Pelicot urged governments and big tech companies to work harder to protect victims.