Episode details

News,02 Jul 2026,41 mins,
Teen Rapists Face Custody After Appeal Overturns "Lenient" Sentence
NewscastAvailable for over a year
Today, two teenage boys who raped girls in Hampshire have been given four years' detention after the Court of Appeal changed their sentences. A third boy’s youth rehabilitation order was left unchanged. UK correspondent, Daniel Sandford was at the court and explains the reasoning behind the judges’ decision. Plus, Morgan McSweeney, the elusive former chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer has given his first ever media interview. He spoke to Political Thinking’s Nick Robinson about Labour’s lack of preparation for government and his response to allegations of a boys club in Number 10. Nick joins Alex and James to unpack what we learned. Information and support for the issues raised in this podcast can be found on BBC Action Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/ You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480. New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Miranda Slade with Shiler Mahmoudi and Anna Harris. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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