Victims of rape and sexual offences already have to deal with the emotional and physical effects of what has happened and now are facing further challenges.
Mammoth delays in the UK court systems as well as the initiation of the early prisoners release scheme in an effort to combat overcrowding is hugely concerning for victims of rape and sexual assault.
Not only are victims dealing with the effects of what has happened, but when they then go on to report the offence – they are now, in some cases, facing an average wait of five years for a trial to conclude.
Across the UK, there is a huge backlog in the courts which has been blamed on the pandemic, dwindling barrister numbers and government cuts.
According to the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), 64 % of prosecutors and 66% of defence barristers will not reapply to RASSO (Rape and Serious Sexual Offence) court lists going forward due to the low legal aid fees they are paid and the impact on their wellbeing.
The figures come as the average wait for a bailed rape trial to conclude from the day of an alleged offence has now hit around five and a half years – including an average wait of 18 months from someone being charged until the end of the trial.
Moreover, there is a huge discrepancy between the number of rape and sexual offences reported to police and the number of alleged offenders that go on to receive a charge or summons.
Following an increase in enquiries from rape and sexual assault victims about available support, Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice set out to investigate the current level of offences, and victims seeking or able to access support.
How Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice Can Help
Here at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, we have a team of specialist criminal injury solicitors who have many years of experience helping people claim compensation for sexual assaults and rape. We offer a free and confidential 24-hour helpline which you can access via phone or live chat.
How We Conducted Our Research
We sent out Freedom of Information Requests to every police force in the UK as well as the CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority).
To police forces, we asked for the number of rape and sexual offences recorded in the last year (September 2023 – September 2024). We also asked for the types of offences, as well as the age and gender of both the alleged offender and victim.
To the CICA, we asked how many rape and sexual offence compensation claims have been made in the last year as well as the total sum of compensation awarded.
We also asked, how many of these claims were rejected and what were the reasons for the rejections.
The Results Of Our Research
National Findings
In some UK police force areas, the number of rape and sexual offences reported to police force has increased this year compared with last year (2022/23).
However, what is consistent nationwide, is the number of those offences that result in a charge or summons remains staggeringly low (around 2 per cent in some police force areas).
Similarly, the number of victim applications received by the CICA is less than one per cent of offences reported to the police.
The main reasons victims are rejected by the CICA are that; the incident was not a ‘crime of violence’, the application was made outside the relevant time limit, failure to cooperate with bringing the assailant to justice and failure to cooperate with the CICA.
While reporting systems and consequences for rape and sexual offences are in dire need of improvement, there is support out there for victims.
CICA Specialist at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, Ellie Lamey said: “The number of sexual assault/abuse victims who have applied for CIC is staggeringly low compared to the number of offences being reported to police forces across the UK.
“It is so important that victims know there is support available for them and not to be deterred or fearful of rejection.
“Victims should be aware that they can report historic periods of abuse/assaults to the police, regardless of the amount of time that has passed.
“Victims can avoid rejections by ensuring they fully cooperate with the police in bringing the assailant to justice as well as seeking appropriate medical attention regarding any physical or psychological injuries sustained from the assault they are a victim of.
“CICA data from 2020-2022 shows that 18 per cent of applications are submitted outside of the two-year time limit, and of these 61 per cent went on to receive an award.
“With relevant evidence, we can provide exceptional circumstances that have contributed to the delay in a victim submitting an application.”
See the results of our research for your local police force area below
Avon and Somerset Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 7,710
No. of charges/summons: 165
Most common offences | Count
- Rape of a female aged 16 or over | 2,389
- Sexual assault on a female aged 13 and over | 1,730
- Exposure and voyeurism | 475
Offenders Ages | Count
16-35 | 2,2029
36-50 | 1,302
50+ | 994
Notr Recorded | 2,776
Under 16 | 627
Victims Ages | Count
16-35 | 3,391
36-50 | 1,395
50+ | 651
Not Recorded | 314
Under 16 | 1,717
Bedfordshire Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 2,128
No. of charges/summons: 104
Most common offences | Count
- Rape of a female aged 16 or over | 510
- Sexual assault on a female | 478
- Sexual assault of a female child under 13 | 132
Offenders Ages | Count
0-9yrs | 18
10-19yrs | 311
20-29yrs | 296
30-39yrs | 299
40-49yrs | 226
50-59 yrs | 139
60-69 yrs | 64
70-79yrs | 27
80yrs & over | 14
Not Recorded | 779
Victims Ages | Count
0-9yrs | 156
10-19yrs | 859
20-29yrs | 404
30-39yrs | 284
40-49yrs | 164
50-59 yrs | 68
60-69 yrs | 25
70-79yrs | 9
80yrs & over | 14
Not Recorded | 139
Cambridgeshire Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 2,813
No. of charges/summons: 160
Type of Offence | Count
Sexual Assaults | 1,042
Rape | 901
Other Sexual Offences | 728
Other Serious Sexual Offences | 142
Victim Ages | Count
10 and under | 237
11-18 | 912
19-30 | 639
31-40 | 384
41-50 | 220
51-60 | 100
61-70 | 35
71-80 | 12
81 and over | 6
No Victim Added to Crime or Age not Present | 277
Suspect Ages | Count
10 and under | 49
11-18 | 447
19-30 | 480
31-40 | 395
41-50 | 309
51-60 | 171
61-70 | 72
71-80 | 29
80 and over | 15
No Suspect Added to Crime or Age not Present | 916
Cleveland Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 2,688
No. of charges/summons: 109
Type of Offence | Count
Sexual Offences | 1,707
Rape | 981
Age Group | Count
Under 18 | 1,288
18-29 | 574
30-39 | 389
40-49 | 222
50-59 | 105
60+ | 52
Unknown | 51
Cumbria Constabulary
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 1,830
No. of charges/summons: 77
Offence Category | Count
Sexual Assault| 688
Rape | 539
Sexual Activity | 346
Exposure and Voyeurism | 115
Other Miscellaneous Sexual Offences | 58
Sexual Grooming | 43
Causing Sexual Activity Without Consent | 19
Abuse of Children through Sexual Exploitation | 12
Abuse of Position of Trust of a Sexual Nature | 7
Incest or Familial Sexual Offences | 3
Suspect Age Group | Count
Under 18 | 429
18-25 | 188
26-35 | 263
36-45 | 224
46-55 | 134
56-65 | 82
66-75 | 32
Over 75 | 74
Victim Age Group | Count
Under 18 | 966
18-25 | 246
26-35 | 237
36-45 | 168
46-55 | 97
56-65 | 30
66-75 | 12
Over 75 | 29
Devon & Cornwall Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 6,730
No. of charges/summons: 150
Offence Category | Count
Rape Female | 2,175
Sexual Assault Female| 2,135
Other Sexual Offence | 1,147
Sexual Assault Male | 492
Other Serious Sexual | 295
Sexual Activity Child Under 13 | 271
Rape Male | 204
Sexual Activity Involving a child under 16 | 11
Victim Age Group | Count
0-9 | 544
10-19 | 2,751
20-29 | 1,196
30-39| 874
40-49 |533
50-59 | 306
60-69 | 107
70-79 | 42
80-89 | 30
90+ | 10
Not recorded | 343
Suspect/Offender Age Group | Count
0-9 | 119
10-19 | 1,472
20-29 | 929
30-39| 1,069
40-49 | 724
50-59 | 513
60-69 | 269
70-79 | 96
80-89 | 46
90+ | 6
Not recorded | 64
Dorset Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 2,209
No. of charges/summons: 50
Offence Category | Count
Sexual Assault Female| 781
Rape Female | 721
Other Sexual Offence | 323
Sexual Assault Male | 155
Other Serious Sexual | 81
Sexual Activity Child Under 13 | 74
Rape Male | 72
Sexual Activity involving a child under 16 | 2
Victim Age Group | Count
0-9 | 70
10-19 | 833
20-29 | 459
30-39| 321
40-49 | 207
50-59 | 129
60-69 | 57
70-79 | 15
80-89 | 21
90+ | 5
Not recorded | 92
Suspect/Offender Age Group | Count
0-9 | 8
10-19 | 219
20-29 | 237
30-39| 262
40-49 | 188
50-59 | 131
60-69 | 73
70-79 | 23
80-89 | 11
90+ | 1
Not recorded | 1,056
Derbyshire Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 3,521
No. of charges/summons: 136
Most common offences | Count
- Sexual assault on a female | 820
- Rape of a woman 16 years of age or over | 801
- Engage in sexual communication with a child | 208
Victim Age Group | Count
Under 18 | 1,854
18-25 | 509
26-35 | 496
36-45 | 325
46-55 | 163
56-65 | 82
66-75 | 44
76-85 | 22
Over 85 | 8
Not recorded | 9
Suspect/Offender Age Group | Count
Under 18 | 748
18-25 | 517
26-35 | 572
36-45 | 427
46-55 | 285
56-65 | 147
66-75 | 88
76-85 | 36
Over 85 | 10
Not recorded | 1
Durham Constabulary
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 2,463
No. of charges/summons: 125
Most common offences | Count
- Rape Of A Female Aged 16 And Over | 554
- Sexual Assault On A Female Aged 13 And Over | 529
- Sexual Activity Involving A child Under 16 | 256
Victim Age Group | Count
0-17 | 1,319
18-25 | 358
26-33 | 248
34-41 | 221
42-49 | 118
50-59 | 75
60-69 | 29
70+ | 23
Unkown | 4
Suspect/Offender Age Group | Count
0-17 | 610
18-25 | 287
26-33 | 280
34-41 | 286
42-49 | 166
50-59 | 141
60-69 | 62
70+ | 47
Unkown | 29
Dyfed-Powys Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 1,686
No. of charges/summons: 47
Offence Type | Count
Rape | 545
Other Sexual Offences | 1,141
Victim Age Group | Count
0-17 | 799
18-24 | 287
25-34 | 212
35-44 | 170
45-54 | 117
55-64 | 44
65 and over | 41
Not recorded | 16
Suspect/Offender Age Group | Count
0-17 | 391
18-24 | 173
25-34 | 212
35-44 | 173
45-54 | 128
55-64 | 97
65 and over | 53
Not recorded | 458
Essex Police
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 5,458
No. of charges/summons: 268
Offence Category | Count
Other Sexual Offences | 3289
Rape | 2169
Victim Age Group | Count
0-10 | 512
11-17 | 1,654
18-30 | 1,316
31-40 | 811
41-50 | 444
51-60 | 238
61-70 | 52
71+ | 80
Not Recorded | 379
Suspect Age Group | Count
0-10 | 10
11-17 | 102
18-30 | 115
31-40 | 65
41-50 | 46
51-60 | 36
61-70 | 17
71+ | 4
Not Recorded | 3
Gloucestershire
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 1,515
No. of charges/summons: 35
Most common offences | Count
- Rape of female 16+ | 506
- Sexual assault on female 13+ | 474
- Sexual assault on male 13+ | 112
Victim Age Group | Count
0-10 | 149
11-17 | 459
18-30 | 454
31-40 | 210
41-50 | 88
51-60 | 65
61-70 | 16
71+ | 25
Unknown | 15
Suspect Age Group | Count
0-10 | 0
11-17 | 5
18-30 | 18
31-40 | 9
41-50 | 4
51-60 | 6
61-70 | 0
71+ | 1
Unknown | 0
Norfolk Constabulary
No. of rape and sexual offences 2023/24: 3,280
No. of charges/summons: 161
Most common offences | Count
- Sexual Assault on a Female aged 13 or over | 903
- Sexual Activity involving a Child under 16| 244
- Sexual Assault on a Female Child under 13 | 215
Victim Age Group | Count
0-10 | 400
11-17 | 1,120
18-30 | 835
31-40 | 328
41-50 | 246
51-60 | 125
61-70 | 41
71+ | 70
Not Recorded | 18
Suspect Age Group | Count
0-10 | 93
11-17 | 667
18-30 | 705
31-40 | 524
41-50 | 392
51-60 | 244
61-70 | 94
71+ | 68
Not Recorded | 37
