Fewer people prosecuted for revenge porn
JUST 14 people were prosecuted for revenge porn across the whole of the West Midlands last year - and the number is falling.
A support service for victims said they were not surprised at the low numbers, as victims consider pursuing a case through the courts to get justice too traumatic.
It comes as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) - which is responsible for prosecutions - said they would welcome an increase in the reporting of what a spokesman described as a ‘vile crime.’
Revenge porn is when someone discloses private sexual photographs or video with intent to cause distress to another person, often by publishing it on the internet.
It became a criminal offence in April 2015 but numbers of prosecutions and convictions are still low.
Campaigners say one factor is that it’s not classified as a sexual offence - meaning that victims could be identified in any reports of criminal proceedings.
Victims of offences such as rape or sexual assault are legally entitled to anonymity, so their identity can’t be revealed.
In 2018 in the West Midlands Police Force area, there were 14 prosecutions for revenge porn and, of these 14 prosecutions, there were 12 convictions.
That conviction rate of 86 per cent was down from 92 per cent a year before.
There were four suspended sentences and six community sentences handed out, while two cases were committed for sentencing when the data was compiled. Of those prosecuted in 2018, 13 were men, with two aged between 18 and 20, three aged between 21 and 24, three aged between 25 and 29, three aged between 30 and 39, and two aged between 40 and 49.
The only woman prosecuted was aged between 21 and 24.
When the law was introduced in 2015, there were five prosecutions in the West Midlands area. That rose to 24 in 2016 and then dropped to 13 in 2017.
Since the law was introduced, a total of 56 people have been prosecuted in the West Midlands for revenge porn.
Across England and Wales, 288 people appeared in court in 2018 charged with disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. Of these, 183 were convicted.
This was down from 349 people being taken to court in 2017, with 261 people convicted.
That means the conviction rate has dropped from 75% in 2017 to 64% in 2018.
Most of those who appeared in court were men - 262 out of 288 in 2017.
Of those convicted, 27 were given immediate custody, with 62 receiving community sentences, and 61 given a suspended sentence.
The figures only cover cases where disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress was the principle, or most serious, offence prosecuted.
However, Ministry of Justice figures show 337 people were prosecuted for the offence in 2018, as either a principle or non-principle offence. That was down from 455 in 2017.
The Revenge Porn Helpline offers advice and support to adults who have been the victim of intimate image abuse via email and phone.
Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, said: “Unfortunately, the figures published by the Ministry of Justice are no surprise to us at the Revenge Porn Helpline.
“The reasons for cases not being pursued through to conviction are many and varied.
“There is no guarantee of anonymity as the disclosure of intimate images without consent is not classed as a sexual offence: people who are suffering having their intimate images shared in this way are understandably unwilling to risk having their identities revealed in open court or the local media.
”Reporting to the police is a difficult step to take and sadly we often hear that victims have had unsympathetic and uninformed responses.
“The sharing of images in this way is often linked to other behaviours such as domestic abuse, harassment and stalking, all of which can present risks to a victim.
“Cases of intimate image abuse certainly do not seem to be decreasing. Cases reported to the Revenge Porn Helpline are rising year-onyear.
“The priority for most callers is the removal of their online content and while we make sure that they are aware of their legal options, it is often too traumatic a prospect to consider.”
It also wants the offence to include threats to share, for the criteria of intention to cause distress to be removed, the definition of the images included to be broadened, and manipulated images such as deep fakes and Photoshopped images to be included.
“We recognise traumatic effect” A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “The CPS takes socalled revenge pornography extremely seriously and we recognise the traumatic effect this crime has on victims.
“We welcome any increase in reporting of this vile offence. The CPS can only consider cases referred to us by the police but we will always seek to charge where there is sufficient evidence to do so.”
The CPS said disclosing private sexual images is often part of a wider campaign of harassment or stalking and this offending will often be reflected within other charges.
A revised protocol on stalking cases, published following consultation with specialist victim support groups, makes it makes clear that if the primary offence is stalking then this should be the charge irrespective of the specific behaviours the perpetrator may have conducted (such as revenge porn)
CPS figures show stalking offences charged increased from 1,616 in 2017-18 to 2,209 in 2018-19 - an increase of 36.7 per cent and the highest volume ever recorded.
The Revenge Porn Helpline can be contacted on 0345 6000 459 (between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), voicemail outside these hours) or at help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk