FOI 461700
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 461700
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 5th March 2026. Please find below the response to your request:
- Please provide the number of intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn' offences reported to the police force each year between:
o 1st July 2021- 30th June 2022
o 1st July 2022-30th June 2023
o 1st July 2023-30th June 2024
o 1st July 2024-30th June 2025
o 1st July 2025-28th February 2026
Note: by intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn', we mean sharing or threatening to share private sexual photographs or films without the consent of the person or people depicted, which for cases from 31st January 2024 is a criminal offence under section 66(b) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as inserted by the Online Safety Act 2003.
For cases prior to 31 January 2024, offences were convicted under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 and included a requirement for intent to cause distress. All the above includes 'deepfakes', which are digitally created and altered content in the form of fake images, videos and audio recordings.
- Please provide the number of how many of the intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn' offences reported to the police each year between 1st July 2021-30th June 2022, 1st July 2022-30th June 2023, 1st July 2023-30th June 2024, 1st July 2024-30th June 2025 and 1st July 2025-28th February 2026 resulted in the following outcomes:
* Outcome type 1 (charged/summonsed)
* Outcome type 14 (evidential difficulties: suspect not identified; victim does not support further action)
* Outcome type 15 (evidential difficulties: suspect identified; victim supports action)
* Outcome type 16 (evidential difficulties: suspect identified; victim does not support further action)
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REQUEST 2:
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What would you like to know?: 1. Please provide the number of intimate image abuse / 'revenge' porn offences that specifically involved threats to share private sexual photographs or films as opposed to recorded crimes in which these photographs or films had already been shared in the following periods:
o 1st July 2021- 30th June 2022
o 1st July 2022-30th June 2023
o 1st July 2023-30th June 2024
o 1st July 2024-30th June 2025
o 1st July 2025-28th February 2026
Note: by intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn', we mean sharing or threatening to share private sexual photographs or films without the consent of the person or people depicted, which for cases from 31st January 2024 is a criminal offence under section 66(b) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as inserted by the Online Safety Act 2003.
For cases prior to 31 January 2024, offences were convicted under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 and included a requirement for intent to cause distress. All the above includes 'deepfakes', which are digitally created and altered content in the form of fake images, videos and audio recordings.
- Please provide the number of intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn' offences that specifically included threats to share private photographs or resulted in outcome types 1, 14, 15 and 16 for the following periods:
o 1st July 2021- 30th June 2022
o 1st July 2022-30th June 2023
o 1st July 2023-30th June 2024
o 1st July 2024-30th June 2025
o 1st July 2025-28th February 2026
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REQUEST 3:
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What would you like to know?: 1. Where possible, please supply data on the sex of victims who reported intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn' offences for the following periods:
o 1st July 2021- 30th June 2022
o 1st July 2022-30th June 2023
o 1st July 2023-30th June 2024
o 1st July 2024-30th June 2025
o 1st July 2025-28th February 2026
- Where possible, please supply data on the sex of victims who reported threats to share private sexual photographs or films for the following periods:
o 1st July 2021- 30th June 2022
o 1st July 2022-30th June 2023
o 1st July 2023-30th June 2024
o 1st July 2024-30th June 2025
o 1st July 2025-28th February 2026
Note: by intimate image abuse / 'revenge porn', we mean sharing or threatening to share private sexual photographs or films without the consent of the person or people depicted, which for cases from 31st January 2024 is a criminal offence under section 66(b) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as inserted by the Online Safety Act 2003.
For cases prior to 31 January 2024, offences were convicted under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 and included a requirement for intent to cause distress. All the above includes 'deepfakes', which are digitally created and altered content in the form of fake images, videos and audio recordings.
Reply
Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.
S.12(1) of the Act states that a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”. For police forces in England and Wales, the "appropriate limit" is £450 or 18 hours of work as set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
The information you have requested regarding the split of ‘share’ or ‘threaten’ cannot be split and is not available in a readily retrievable format. There are over 816 records. In order to ascertain whether the information you have requested is held would take in excess of 18 hours as each record would have to be checked individually.
In accordance with s.17(5) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.
Under s.16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request.
However, In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide some of the information requested as this was retrieved during our initial research. This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.
|
Home Office Primary Full Offence Title and Offence Code |
Requested time period |
Grand Total |
||||
|
1 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2022 |
1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 28 Feb 2026 |
||
|
(008/71) EXPIRED – NOT FOR USE AFTER 30/01/24 - Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress. |
180 |
169 |
86 |
1 |
|
436 |
|
(088/15) Sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification |
|
|
49 |
187 |
144 |
380 |
|
Grand Total |
180 |
169 |
135 |
188 |
144 |
816 |
|
Police Outcome Type |
Requested time period |
Grand Total |
||||
|
1 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2022 |
1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 28 Feb 2026 |
||
|
(008/71) EXPIRED – NOT FOR USE AFTER 30/01/24 - Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress. |
154 |
135 |
63 |
1 |
|
353 |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
5 |
7 |
6 |
1 |
|
19 |
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
21 |
15 |
3 |
|
|
39 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
42 |
45 |
22 |
|
|
109 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
86 |
68 |
32 |
|
|
186 |
|
(088/15) Sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification |
|
|
40 |
129 |
92 |
261 |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
|
|
1 |
10 |
2 |
13 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
|
|
1 |
12 |
14 |
27 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
|
|
15 |
40 |
29 |
84 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
|
|
23 |
66 |
47 |
136 |
|
Grand Total |
154 |
135 |
103 |
130 |
92 |
614 |
|
Victim Gender |
Requested time period |
Grand Total |
||||
|
1 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2022 |
1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 28 Feb 2026 |
||
|
(008/71) EXPIRED – NOT FOR USE AFTER 30/01/24 - Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress. |
182 |
167 |
84 |
1 |
|
434 |
|
Female |
130 |
131 |
63 |
1 |
|
325 |
|
Male |
46 |
35 |
19 |
|
|
100 |
|
Not recorded |
4 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
7 |
|
Unknown |
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Unspecified |
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
(088/15) Sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification |
|
|
49 |
183 |
142 |
374 |
|
Female |
|
|
38 |
114 |
102 |
254 |
|
Male |
|
|
10 |
63 |
38 |
111 |
|
Not recorded |
|
|
1 |
6 |
2 |
9 |
|
Grand Total |
182 |
167 |
133 |
184 |
142 |
808 |
Caveat: The Home Office offence code of 008/71 ceased on 31 Jan 2024, being replaced immediately by the new codes of 088/15. For clarity, these codes have been displayed separately in the Issue table. There is one 008/71 offence that has been recorded after 31 Jan 2024 – this is clearly a data quality issue.
Query 2 (victim) returned 808 unique offences with at least one victim linked, meaning not all offences had a victim identified and some had multiple victims. There were 768 unique individuals, meaning there were some individuals who were victims of multiple offences within the requested overall time frame. As such, the table totals should not be expected to match. The victim tables have been completed to detail all offences, meaning the individuals who were victims of multiple offences, will appear more than once in the victim tables according to the date periods of the offences.