On 6th September 2016 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) produced the latest figures for prosecutions for “revenge pornography”. There have been 206 prosecutions and 1,000 reports to the Police.
“Revenge porn” is the act of someone posting explicit images of another without their consent. The perpetrators are typically former partners.
It must be remembered that revenge porn was only made illegal in April last year. The act of posting explicit images of someone without their consent is humiliating and degrading and can be used as an attempt to shame or coerce the victim.
The nature of the crime may have deterred some victims from reporting the posting of images. However, the 206 prosecutions may reassure victims that reporting the crime will be taken seriously by the police and the courts which could encourage more victims to report the posting of images.
The number of prosecutions may not necessarily indicate a rise in crimes being committed but may reflect the confidence of the victims in the justice system. Alison Saunders, director of public prosecutions, said: “Today, a rape, domestic abuse, sexual offence or child abuse case is more likely to be prosecuted and convicted than ever before.”
Following the figures being published by the CPS, Maria Miller Conservative MP for Basingstoke and current Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee stated “As with other sex-related crimes, perhaps anonymity for victims needs to be carefully considered in the cases of revenge pornography.”
Maria’s colleague Phillip Lee, Conservative MP for Bracknell who is the Minister for Victims, Youth and Family justice, responded: “Revenge porn is a terrible abuse of trust which can leave victims feeling humiliated and degraded. By making it a specific offence carrying a maximum sentence of two years behind bars, we have sent a clear message this crime will not be tolerated.
With regards to anonymity, I’m interested in what she’s saying and if she’d like to write to me on that issue I will consider it.”
The CPS’s annual Violence against Women and Girls report shows that rape, domestic abuse and sexual offences now account for nearly 20% of its caseload and this figure has been increasing each year. This level exceeds that of terrorism and fraud. There has been an increase in the number of convictions for all sexual offences and these figures are the highest ever recorded.
Alison Saunders stated: “The use of the internet, social media and other forms of technology to humiliate, control and threaten individuals is rising. Over the last year, I have doubled the resources in specialist units that handle rape and serious sexual offence cases, including child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.”
The justice system is ever evolving with technology as new crimes are created with a rise in those being committed online. Jeremy Wright, QC, the attorney-general, said: “New offence categories introduced by the government are also supporting the fight to stamp out these crimes, with the report highlighting positive conviction results for the new offences of revenge porn and controlling and coercive behaviour.”
The Legal Aid Agency also expanded its scope for “domestic violence” in April 2016. It now recognises controlling and coercive behaviour and has extended the time limit of an offence occurring to applying for Legal Aid to 5 years, an increase of 3 years. This enables more victims of domestic abuse with the appropriate evidence to access Legal Aid.