Request
How many reports to the police are there each year of sexual violence or abuse by a child to a child?
Response
Although the request is not specific, certain parameters have been assumed to make this request manageable within the time frame allowed to complete requests under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.
The tables below show the number of offences that were reported to the States of Jersey Police (SOJP) between January 2013 and October 2017. The figures do not include offences reported within this time frame that referred to historic offences committed before 2012 as this would give a distorted picture of the current situation in Jersey.
Each relates to sexual offences where both the offender and the victim were under the age of
18. The victims in the cases of unlawful sexual intercourse (USI) are all between the ages of 13 and 15. Those under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to intercourse or sexual activity. There have been no cases of the more serious offence of USI with females under the age of 13.
In the cases below, the matter was dealt with either by the court or Parish hall, or no further action was taken as it was deemed not to be in the public interest. No further details of any offence will be released.
Indecent assault on a female | 2 |
Gross indecency | 1 |
Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 (USI) | 15 |
Indecent photos of children | 1 |
The below cases were reported to SOJP either by the victim or a third party. None were proceeded with to prosecution due to either insufficient evidence, no suspect being traced or lack of cooperation from the victim. One case may result in a number of allegations where the indecent assault may lead to a further allegation of USI. There may be multiple offences between consenting couples, who engage in sexual activity over a period of time.
Offences committed |
|---|
Indecent assault on a female | 28 |
Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 (USI) | 20 |
Incite to commit a sexual act | 3 |
Incidents of texting sexual images between children (sexting) is an ongoing concern however, prosecutions do not follow in most cases. To date this year, SOJP have recorded 17 instances of peer to peer (same age group) sexting for under 18’s.
While sexting is a criminal offence, SOJP try not to criminalise children where it takes place as part of a consensual relationship, but where coercion or threats are involved SOJP will act.
