Q. Sexual Offences: Children and Young People

Sexual Offences: Children and Young People

(asked on 1st March 2016) - View Source

Questioner

Jess Phillips
(Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people aged (a) under 16, (b) between 16 to 18 and (c) between 18 to 25 have been (i) tried and (ii) convicted of a sexual offence in each year since 2010.

Answered by

Andrew Selous
Second Church Estates Commissioner

This question was answered on 9th March 2016

The information requested in respect of individuals tried and convicted for violent offences in their own home could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Youth offending has been falling since 2010. Compared to the year ending March 2010, in the year ending March 2015 there were 67% fewer first-time entrants to the youth justice system. However, reoffending rates are far too high and the care and supervision of young offenders in custody us not good enough. That is why the Justice Secretary has asked Charlie Taylor to conduct a review of youth justice. He will report back later this year with recommendations on how to improve the treatment of young people in our care.

Table 1 below shows the latest available data on the number of defendants, in the requested age groups, proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of exposure in England and Wales.

Table 2 below shows the latest available data on the number of defendants, in the requested age groups, proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences relating to harassment in England and Wales.

Table 3 below shows the latest available data on the number of defendants, in the requested age groups, found guilty at all courts for offences relating to harassment in England and Wales.

Table 4 below shows the latest available data on the number of defendants, in the requested age groups, proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of sexual offences in England and Wales.

Court proceedings data for 2015 is planned for publication in May 2016.

Table 1: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of exposure ⁽¹⁾, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014 ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

Outcome

Age group

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Proceeded against

10 to 15

16 to 17

18 to 25

203

190

151

187

212

All 25 and under

277

244

195

232

250

Found guilty

10 to 15

16 to 17

18 to 25

143

134

123

131

162

All 25 and under

201

174

157

155

189

(1) An offence under S66 Sexual Offences Act 2003

(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offences relating to harassment⁽¹⁾, by selected age, England and Wales, 2010-2014⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

Year	10 to 15	16 to 17	18 to 25	Total

2010	2,190	3,306	12,096	17,592

2011	1,505	2,518	10,208	14,231

2012	968	1,499	7,912	10,379

2013	716	1,204	7,237	9,157

2014	574	1,065	6,207	7,846



(1) It includes the following offences, published on the MoJ website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014
125A Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - summary
8.12 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress
8.14 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment
125A Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - summary
125C Causing harassment, alarm or distress - summary
125D Racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress - summary
195 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 S.2 - Summary offence of harassment
196 Pursue course of conduct in breach of prohibition of harassment, which amounts to stalking
8.08 Breach of the conditions of an injunction against harassment
8.09 Other harassment - Putting people in fear of violence
8.12 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress
8.14 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment
8.13 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - words or writing

(2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Table 3: Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences relating to harassment⁽¹⁾, by selected age, England and Wales, 2010-2014^(2)(3)(4)

Year

10 to 15

16 to 17

18 to 25

Total

2010

1,544

2,357

9,808

13,709

2011

1,021

1,814

8,281

11,116

2012

663

1,074

6,302

8,039

2013

431

810

5,736

6,977

2014

357

723

4,903

5,983

(1) It includes the following offences, published on the MoJ website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

125A Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - summary

8.12 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress

8.14 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment

125A Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - summary

125C Causing harassment, alarm or distress - summary

125D Racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress - summary

195 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 S.2 - Summary offence of harassment

196 Pursue course of conduct in breach of prohibition of harassment, which amounts to stalking

8.08 Breach of the conditions of an injunction against harassment

8.09 Other harassment - Putting people in fear of violence

8.12 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress

8.14 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment

8.13 Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress - words or writing

(2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

(4) Defendants proceeded against in one year may not have their final “case outcome” (i.e. found guilty or acquitted) in the same year (e.g. a case may be committed for trial at the Crown Court).

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Table 4: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of sexual offences, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014 ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Outcome	Age group	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014

Proceeded against	10 to 15	505	439	283	368	341
	16 to 17	485	436	389	379	445
	18 to 25	2,363	2,251	2,184	2,267	2,576
	Total	3,353	3,126	2,856	3,014	3,362

Found guilty	10 to 15	310	244	173	194	193
	16 to 17	287	259	245	214	245
	18 to 25	1,225	1,321	1,209	1,178	1,304
	Total	1,822	1,824	1,627	1,586	1,742

(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Sexual Offences: Children and Young People

Questioner

Answered by

Reticulating Splines