Source: Children’s Commissioners Office published on this website Tuesday 25 May 2026 by Jill Powell

In response to the news regarding the recent rape case, which was also published on this website Friday 22 May 2026.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: 

“The rape of two teenage girls in Fordingbridge is deeply disturbing and has shocked people across the country. My thoughts are first and foremost with the two girls and their families, who have shown extraordinary courage in speaking out about these heinous crimes.

“No child should experience the violence, humiliation and trauma described in this case. The impact of sexual violence does not end when an attack is over, it can impact every part of a young person’s life from their safety and confidence to their education, mental health and their future. It is essential that children who report abuse feel heard, protected and treated with dignity throughout the process.

“As Children’s Commissioner I welcome the urgent review being undertaken by the Attorney General. My office will be reaching out directly to the families involved to offer support. Children must know that if they speak up, adults and institutions will act decisively to keep them safe and deliver justice.”

Source: National Cyber Security Centre published on this website Wednesday 20 May 2026 by Jill Powell

Passkeys should now be consumers’ first choice of login across all digital services, the UK government’s technical authority on cyber security has announced.

Overhauling decades of security practice, the National Cyber Security Centre – a part of GCHQ – has taken the decision to no longer recommend individuals use passwords where passkeys are available because passwords lack the relative resilience to modern cyber threats.

Passkeys are a newer method for logging into online accounts which do much of the heavy lifting for users, only requiring user approval rather than needing to input a password. This makes passkeys quicker and easier to use and harder for cyber attackers to compromise.  

A new technical report, published on Day Two of CYBERUK – the UK government’s flagship cyber security event in Glasgow, shows that passkeys are at least as secure as, and generally more secure than, pairing the strongest password with two-step verification (2SV).

The majority of cyber harms to individuals start with criminals stealing or compromising login details, making the adoption of passkeys a huge leap in boosting the UK’s resilience to phishing attacks.

A number of popular online service providers already support passkeys, including Google, eBay and PayPal – and new data from Google shows the UK already lead global adoption of passkeys, with just over 50% of active Google services users in the UK having one registered.

The NCSC stopped short of endorsing the adoption of passkeys last year due to some key implementation challenges. However, progress within industry means they can now be recommended to the public as the more secure and user-friendly login method and to businesses as the default authentication option to offer consumers. 

“Adopting passkeys wherever you can is a strong step towards a safer, simpler login experience and I am pleased that we can now support uptake. The headaches that remembering passwords have caused us for decades no longer need to be a part of logging in where users migrate to passkeys – they are a user-friendly alternative which provide stronger overall resilience. As we aim to accelerate the UK’s cyber defences at scale, moving to passkeys is something all of us can do to improve the security of everyday digital services and be prepared for modern and future cyber threats.”

Jonathon Ellison, Director for National Resilience, NCSC

Where a particular service does not support passkeys, the NCSC’s advice to consumers is to use a password manager to create stronger passwords and keep using two-step verification.

Making passkeys the default authentication recommendation is a critical step towards revolutionising the way individuals use and access their online identities.

The key benefits include:

• Easy to use:

Fast, frictionless passkey logins can be completed up to eight times faster than signing in with a username, password and two‑step verification code.

• Harder to compromise:

Passkeys are highly resistant to phishing attacks and cannot be intercepted, reused or guessed like passwords can.

• Reduced password fatigue:

Users no longer need to meet additional requirements, such as creating complex passwords – or even remembering them at all. This prevents weak points and patterns developing across a user’s online presence.

• Security that pays off:

Safety and savings can go hand in hand for online service providers that make passkeys available for customers, replacing SMS-based verification systems which incur additional costs.

Last year, the UK government announced it would roll out passkey technology for its digital services as an alternative to the current SMS-based verification system, offering a more secure and cost-effective solution that could save several million pounds annually. 

For permission to share this information Open Government Licence

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Friday 22 May 2026 by Jill Powell

Three teenage boys have today been sentenced after they were convicted of a knife-point rape and other serious sexual offences against two teenage girls in Hampshire.

The boys, who were aged 13, 14 and 14 at the time of the offences, cannot be named for legal reasons.

During a five-week trial at Southampton Crown Court which resulted in their convictions on 5 March 2026, jurors heard that the victims, aged 14 and 15 at the time, were attacked in separate incidents less than two months apart and were physically overpowered. The girls did not know one another.

In January 2025, a 14 year old girl was assaulted after becoming separated from her friends. She was threatened with a knife and forced to leave her mobile phone and AirTag in a shop so that her movements could not be tracked, before being taken to a secluded area.

Two defendants took it in turns to rape the victim while the others encouraged the offending and filmed the assaults. The defendants left the scene when they believed they had been disturbed. The victim was later found distressed and reported the incident to police.

Forensic evidence supported the victim’s account, including damage to her trousers consistent with the use of a sharp instrument.

The investigation later identified a second victim, aged 15, who was raped in November 2024 by two of the same defendants, both aged 14 at the time.

The court heard that the victim had met one of the defendants online and travelled alone to meet him. They were later joined by another boy and taken to an underpass, where she was raped by both of them.

Today at Southampton Crown Court, Boy A, from Hampshire, who was convicted of two counts of rape and count of taking indecent images of a child, has been sentenced to a three-year youth rehabilitation order.

Boy B, from Dorset, who was convicted of six counts of rape, has been sentenced to a three-year youth rehabilitation order.

Boy C, from Hampshire, who was convicted of two counts of rape, has been sentenced to an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.

Whenever a rape or serious sexual offence case involves a child suspect, it is reviewed by a prosecutor with expertise in both rape and youth offending.

As in all cases, the prosecutor will carefully consider all of the evidence. The prosecutor  will take into account the full circumstances of both the victim and the child suspect to ensure any decision to prosecute is fair, proportionate and reflects the gravity of the offence.

Lucy Paddick, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“This is a deeply concerning case which involved a disturbing level of encouragement between young boys, who acted together to rape two young girls in separate incidents. These girls were forced into sexual activity by boys who brazenly filmed the deeply distressing incidents. After speaking with the victims in this case and reviewing an extensive file of evidence, it was the Crown Prosecution Service’s case that these girls were violated and could not have consented to these terrifying encounters. The CPS worked closely with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to support the victims and other young witnesses to give their evidence, and we commend them for the courage they showed throughout this trial. Our lawyers will work tirelessly to pursue justice for victims, and we will continue to hold those responsible for crimes of this devastating nature to account, regardless of their age.”

Siobhan Blake, National CPS Lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO), said:

“It is deeply distressing to see any instance of sexual offending, especially when it involves young victims and offenders. Our prosecutors tell us they are seeing youth-on-youth cases with some involving more serious and more violent behaviour.  

“It is vital young people are educated and informed about consent and that harmful and misogynistic attitudes are tackled as early as possible to prevent these crimes. Everyone has a part to play. Young people must understand that sexual activity without consent is a serious criminal offence that can lead to them being prosecuted.

“To any young person who has been a victim of crime or who has seen or heard about sexual abuse happening – please tell a trusted adult. You are not in trouble, and we will be here to support you through the next steps.”

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Tuesday 19 May 2026 by Jill Powell

A husband and wife from Nottingham have been given a suspended sentence after arranging for taking two boys under 18 to Pakistan to be married.

The defendants, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, took the boys to Pakistan when they were 17 with the specific purpose of finding them someone to marry. One of the boys refused a proposed match, but another was paired with a local girl and was married in a Nikah ceremony.

Police were alerted to the marriage following a referral from the young person’s place of education.

The couple at first denied that they had been seeking marriages, but pleaded guilty to carrying out conduct to cause a child under 18 to enter a marriage on 17 February.

They were today, 15 May, sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court to two months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to do 100 hours' unpaid work.

Emma Cornell from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Child marriage laws are in place to protect children from the harm done by entering a lifelong commitment at such an early age. These defendants disregarded that protection by taking the boys to Pakistan to be married. The law applies wherever the offending takes place and, on their return, these two defendants were rightly held to account.”

Building the case: Child marriage overseas

The defendants took the two victims abroad to Pakistan to arrange the marriages, with one of them actually taking place. The legislation in England and Wales is in place to protect children and young people who live in this country, regardless of whether they are taken overseas for marriages to be arranged. The laws increasing the minimum age for marriage to 18 came into force in 2023 and introduced an offence of carrying out conduct to cause anyone under 18 to enter into a marriage. The defendants claimed they were not aware of this legislation.

The defendants initially claimed that the visit had been a holiday or family visit. They asserted that the idea of marrying had come from one of the boys, and that they had gone along with his wishes. Analysis of their phones showed that this was not true.

One defendant had several messages on his phone referring to looking for a ‘rishta’, which can mean a spouse or marriage proposal. He had also said in messages to others that he was in Pakistan trying to find his son a wife. The other defendant’s phone showed detailed conversations about arrangements she was making with another family, including making contingency plans when the boy announced he did not like the match they had secured for him. Her phone also had video footage of a wedding ceremony and showed her exchanging money with the family of the bride.

The wedding took place in the form of a Nikah ceremony. While this required to be done in a registered premises to be a legal marriage for UK purposes, the ceremony is binding under Islamic and Pakistani law.
The CPS secured independent advice from an expert in Islamic marriage issues, who confirmed the legal status of the marriage and clarified for the court the significance of the ceremony, including the social and legal constraints it put upon the victims. This expert also provided evidence to confirm to the court that the photographs showed a Nikah ceremony had taken place.

During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution made it clear that, although the defendants had acted unlawfully, there was no force or undue coercion involved. The prosecution also accepted the defendants’ assertion that they had not been aware of the change in law. However, in taking their children overseas to arrange marriages for them, they had broken this law and ignorance of the law is not a defence.