Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
(asked on 11th January 2021) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases relating to sexual assault have faced trial in military courts in each year since 2010; and how many of these cases have resulted in (1) guilty and (2) not guilty verdicts.
The Ministry of Defence has made it absolutely clear there is no place for unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence and Commanding Officers must always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the Service Police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to victims.
Anyone found to fall short of the Services’ high standards or to have committed an offence is dealt with appropriately, which may include imprisonment and dismissal from service.
Starting from 2016, Defence has published an annual Official Statistic on Sexual Offending in the Service Justice System, currently covering the years 2015 to 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sexual-offences-in-the-service-justice-system
Information for 2020 is due to be published in spring 2021. The following table provides a summary of those statistics, covering all sexual offending in the Service Justice System:
Year | No. of Individuals Court Martialled (Sexual Offences) | No. of Defendants Not Guilty | No. of Defendants Guilty |
2019 | 59 | 42 | 17 |
2018 | 55 | 33 | 21 |
2017 | 80 | 57 | 29 |
2016 | 51 | 31 | 22 |
2015 | 51 | 24 | 21 |
Table notes: Sexual offences as defined within sections 1 to 3, 5 to 15A, 16 to 25, 66 and 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (or its historical equivalent) and section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
The total number of individuals Court Martialled for sexual offences will not always equal the sum of the guilty and not guilty in each year as some cases were discontinued. Also, some defendants faced more than one charge and each of these charges will have a guilty/not guilty count in the corresponding column, resulting in more verdicts than defendants in some cases.
Comparable information for the years 2010 to 2014 has not been published as an Official Statistic, but information held by the Service Police covering rape and sexual assault cases and convictions in the Military Court Service between 2010 – 2013 has been published in answer to a Parliamentary Question:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140407/text/140407w0003.htm