A 16-year-old girl who was raped by two teenage boys has spoken publicly about her distress following a court decision not to impose custodial sentences on the offenders.

In an interview with the BBC, she described the ruling as deeply upsetting, saying it felt like “a rock straight in my face” and questioning the purpose of having gone through the court process and reliving the trauma during trial.

The case involved multiple serious offences committed when the victim was 15, including rape in an underpass in Hampshire after she had met one of the boys via social media.

The court also heard that a second victim was raped in a separate incident, and that the assaults were filmed and shared online, which the judge acknowledged as an aggravating factor.

Despite the seriousness of the crimes, including the recording and distribution of footage, the judge at Southampton Crown Court imposed youth rehabilitation orders rather than detention, citing the defendants’ young age and expressing a desire not to criminalise them.

One offender received multiple intensive supervision requirements alongside rehabilitation orders for rape and indecent image offences, while another received a similar sentence for multiple rape charges.A third boy received an 18-month youth rehabilitation order for his role in the second attack.

The victim and her family have criticised the outcome as too lenient, arguing that it undermines the severity of what happened and leaves them feeling that justice has not been served.The victim’s mother has appealed for government intervention, while her partner described feeling physically sick at the sentencing outcome.The Attorney General is now reviewing the case, with the option of referring the sentences to the Court of Appeal within 28 days.