Hampshire ranks top of 'shocking' national statistics for under-10s suspected of rapes

The ‘shocking’ figures could be the result of children being coerced into acts by adults or because they may have been subject to past abuse, charities have said.

There are around 200-300 cases like this each year in the two countries, Home Office data shows.

Children aged nine or under have been suspected of committing more than 1,600 rapes in England and Wales since 2014, The News’ sister title NationalWorld has revealed after analysing the government data.

Hampshire Constabulary recorded the most offences involving an underage suspect, at 115.

This was followed by Greater Manchester (111), West Yorkshire (95), Thames Valley (83) and Northumbria (72).

The Home Office data on the outcomes recorded between April 2014 and September 2021 revealed that police forces across the two countries were unable to pursue a prosecution in approximately 1,660 cases because the suspect was under the age of criminal responsibility – which is age 10 in England and Wales. Children younger than this cannot be arrested or charged with a crime.

In English and Welsh law, rape involves non-consensual penetration of a victim’s vagina, anus or mouth with a penis. It would not cover penetration with any other part of the body, or with an object, which is instead classed as sexual assault by penetration.

The Home Office data shows there have also been 5,280 outcomes with an underage suspect recorded for sexual assault (which would include assault by penetration, as well as other crimes) since April 2014.

The majority of rape cases involving a suspect under the age of 10 involved male victims – unlike with rape cases overall, which are overwhelmingly committed against women and girls.

Around 55 per cent of the offences involving an underage suspect were committed against male victims.

Abuse charities and Hampshire police said such crimes raised questions over safeguarding.

Dr Shonagh Dillon, chief executive of Hampshire domestic abuse charity Aurora New Dawn, said: ‘If a child of 10 or below is displaying sexually violent behaviour this is not only a safeguarding risk to any victims but a huge red flag in terms of what is going on for that child.

‘They are highly likely to be the victims of child abuse themselves both sexual abuse and coercion or violence.

‘Criminalising those children would be a last resort, what should be first and foremost in our minds is what the adults are doing around and to those children for them to be displaying sexually violent behaviour at such a young age.’

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said the ‘awful’ incidents may be the result of abuse suffered by the child perpetrating the rapes – and that safeguarding, not punitive action, must be the priority.

Kellie Ann Fitzgerald, NSPCC assistant director of services in the south east, said: ‘Peer on peer sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on the lives of the young people involved.

‘It is essential that individuals, communities and professionals are there to try and prevent it, spot the signs that it is taking place and offer support when it happens.

‘The NSPCC has a range of resources to support this, including lesson plans on personal safety, healthy relationships and online bullying. Last year the NSPCC’s Speak out Stay safe programme helped 190,061 primary school children across London and the south east learn about the different types of abuse in a child-friendly and age-appropriate way, so they can get help if they need it.’

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A spokeswoman for Hampshire domestic abuse charity Yellow Door said: ‘The number of rapes committed by under 10s is a shocking statistic which raises more questions than it answers.

‘We don’t know the circumstances that underpin these statistics, but we do know that sexual crimes frequently go unreported. We suspect that the high level of cases in Hampshire indicated by this report are in fact due to effective crime logging. The Hampshire Constabulary team responsible for rape and sexual offences are particularly skilled, and work closely with other agencies. They are therefore more likely to become aware of, identify and log such crimes.

‘However, we do know that there are particularly high levels of reported sexual offences (irrespective of age) in Southampton, and to a lesser extent in Portsmouth. Further research is needed to understand the reasons behind these statistics.

‘As outlined by the NSPCC, when a child perpetrates a sexual offence, they may have experienced trauma or abuse themselves. It is essential that children and teenagers are able to access the support they need, and understand what healthy relationships are, and are not.

‘In the scenario where a child commits a sexual offence, everyone involved needs to be safeguarded.

‘We would urge anyone who has suffered an unwanted sexual experience to make contact with Yellow Door. Our Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) provide confidential emotional and practical support to people of all ages and genders who have experienced rape, sexual abuse, sexual violence or sexual exploitation at any point in their lives. Contact us at www.yellowdoor.org.uk or ringing us on 02380 636312.’

Meanwhile Hampshire police admitted it was a ‘complex’ area to deal with but insisted child safety was a priority for them.

A spokesman said: ‘Protecting children is one of the most important things that policing does, and our child-centred policing strategy puts the protection of them at the heart of our work, with our officers and staff dedicated to this in an increasingly complex and demanding environment.

‘We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and, while under the age of criminal responsibility, we work with partner agencies closely to ensure appropriate safeguarding and support is in place for all involved and to work to understand what may have led to this behaviour and how to prevent re-occurrence.’