Request
How many convictions have there been for the following:
A
The downloading of indecent images or videos of children since 2008?
B
Cases of online grooming of children either leading to sexual assault or being prevented in time since 2008
C
Please also provide details of reports of ‘Online Bullying’ recorded on the Police telephone log system since 2008.
Response
A
The below table shows the number of convictions for possessing indecent images of children and the disposal through the criminal justice system.
| Imprisonment | | 11 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | | 44 |
| Probation | 1 | 6 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 2 | | 1 | 5 | 18 |
| Community service | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | 4 |
| Bound over | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 |
| Written caution | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Fine | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
B
There have been 10 convictions for grooming or attempted grooming offences since 2008. Six of those cases involved evidence where an individual led the suspect into believing he was meeting an underage child. No meeting or sexual contact actually took place.
C
The information requested in this question is not held.
Bullying can take many forms, it is not possible to categorise it into one particular crime. Threatening behaviour over a telecommunications system is covered in the Telecoms Law but not all bullying reaches this level. Since 2008, the police telephone logging system has 83 records with ‘Bullying’ in the title heading. Of these only 17 mention ‘Internet or Cyber’ in the title headline however, a review of individual entries shows that many of the other entries involve some form of bullying via ‘social media’. It is not possible to give an accurate answer to this question.
