Sex Crime Reports Are up by 11% in Northern Ireland after Jimmy Savile Case

By Chris Kilpatrick
Belfast Telegraph
August 29, 2014

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/sex-crime-reports-are-up-by-11-in-northern-ireland-after-jimmy-savile-case-3054

The number of sex crimes reported in Northern Ireland soared by 11% over the past year – with suggestions the Jimmy Savile scandal has encouraged victims here to speak out.

Figures released by police showed an average of more than six sex offences were reported to the PSNI every day.

In the past 12 months, officers have received 2,274 such complaints. These included 549 reports of rape, up from 531 last year.

During the same period, from July 2013, there was a decrease in the number of alleged sex offenders taken to court.

A leading charity for victims of sex abuse said it was impossible to tell if the statistics pointed to an increase in attacks or more people reporting assaults.