Sex attackers and child rapists given cautions

HUNDREDS of people who admitted crimes including sex attacks were let off with a police caution last year, official figures show.

Police figures have revealed that 87 people who sexually attacked children were among a tally of 437 people who were allowed to keep their freedom despite admitting crimes that included rape, kidnap, child abuse and blackmail.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal there were 10 cases where police issued a caution to a person who admitted to a rape attack on a child.

In one of these cases the statistics show the offender, who was dealt with by the Metropolitan Police, was aged between 10 and 11.

There were 73 cases from across the country where a caution was issued to somebody who admitted sexual activity with a child and another four for sexual assault of a child.

The figures also showed there was one caution issued for the rape of an adult and 11 people who received this mildest form of criminal sanction for an indecent assault on a woman.

A total of 17 cautions were given to people who admitted blackmail offences, nine people received this sanction for escaping from custody and 15 individuals were cautioned after having kidnapped somebody.

For violent offences a total of 36 people received cautions for various offences of wounding, 64 were cautioned for robbery and three for committing house burglaries.

A spokesman for the CPS said: “It is important that the CPS and police are able to examine the circumstances of each case and decide on the most appropriate outcome, which in exceptional cases may involve the use of a caution.”