Girl 'feared teen rapists would throw her in river'

A rape victim feared her teenage attackers would push her into a river if she did not comply with their demands, a court has heard.

The girl, then aged 15, told police she was forced into sex with two 14-year-old boys in an underpass in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, in November 2024.

In a video interview played to a jury, the girl said she felt "trapped" by the defendants and their friend, who were laughing and recording the attacks on phones.

Three boys between them deny eight joint rape counts and one charge of taking indecent photos of a child in a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

In the police interview, the girl described how one of the defendants asked her on Snapchat to be his girlfriend before they had ever met.

Days later, on 26 November, the complainant travelled alone to see him for the first time, the court heard.

The girl said he asked her to perform sexual acts on him and she agreed.

She explained to police: "I've only been in a relationship where sex is the main thing, will keep me loved."

Shortly after sex in the underpass, a second defendant and his friend appeared, she told officers.

Her date "was a bit scared, like he knew this was going to happen", she said in the video.

The girl said she was asked to have a threesome and agreed.

She said: "They were bigger than me. It was three boys against one girl."

During the attacks in the flooded underpass near a river, the boys "kept switching" for an hour and a half, she said.

"They could have pushed me in there. Obviously it was raining and the current was really bad," she told officers.

"I was so scared, disgusted. I honestly thought it was all my fault."

The boys asked her, "Why do you look so sad?" and bought her a drink to "cheer her up", the girl said.

After leaving her at a bus stop, she found the defendants had blocked her on social media, the court was told.

The defendants, who cannot be named because of their age, deny charges relating to alleged attacks on lone teenage girls in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025.

The first boy, now 15, denies four charges of rape against the first girl and two charges of rape against the second girl. He also denies taking indecent videos of the second girl.

The second boy, also 15, denies four charges of rape against the first girl and four charges of rape against the second girl.

The third boy, now 14, denies two counts of rape against the second girl.

All three boys have pleaded guilty to separate charges of taking indecent videos in relation to the two incidents, the jury was told.

The trial continues.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by the issues raised in this ongoing trial, please visit BBC Action Line to find information on organisations that can help.