Child abused every 7 minutes as sex offences hit a record

A child is being sexually abused every seven minutes, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC.

Reported sexual offences against youngsters rose to a record 76,204 in the last 12 months – an increase of 63 per cent over the last five years.

Where the age of a victim was provided, a fifth of the offences – 16,773 – were recorded against children aged 10 and under, with 341 involving babies.

The NSPCC says the rise in offences, which include rape and grooming is partly explained by better police recording and increased reporting by the public.

The charity is also aware the figures have risen due to the growing number of paedophiles exploiting social media to contact children.

There were 8,656 child sexual offences involving an online element in 2018-19 – an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year.

The data was released under Freedom of Information laws.