Children as young as 12 have been both victim and perpetrators of revenge porn in West Yorkshire

Children as young as 12 have been victims of revenge porn in West Yorkshire - while almost 97% of perpetrators who shared the images did not face charges.
Children as young as 12 have been both victim and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealed.Children as young as 12 have been both victim and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealed.
Children as young as 12 have been both victim and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealed.

West Yorkshire Police have released data on reports made since the crime became a sexual offence in 2015, with figures showing the youngest victim and perpetrators to be just 12 years old.

The figures show there have been 721 cases of revenge porn, which is classed as the act of sharing private, sexual photographs of a person to cause distress, reported to West Yorkshire Police in nearly four years.

Of these, 85 were cases in which a child was the victim.

Children as young as 12 have been both victims and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealedChildren as young as 12 have been both victims and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealed
Children as young as 12 have been both victims and perpetrators of revenge porn crimes in West Yorkshire, figures have revealed

Child victims of revenge porn images

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The youngest reported victim was a 12-year-old boy in 2016, where a 16-year-old girl was listed as the perpetrator.

Worryingly, there are 33 occasions where intimate pictures of a child have been shared by an adult.

Listed in the figures are separate occasions where pictures of a 17-year-old girl were shared by men aged 40 and 33, while a further incident is listed of a 33-year-old woman sharing pictures of a 17-year-old boy.

Revenge porn attacks on a person of any age is against the law, although sharing images of children may result in further charges being brought.

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Child perpetrators

Some 54 children in West Yorkshire have also been investigated for sharing private photographs of someone, with two separate cases where 12-year-old boys were suspected of sharing intimate images.

One of these cases was where an older child was a victim, namely a 15-year-old girl, while the other has no information disclosed as to the age or sex of the victim.

Charge rates

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The statistics also revealed the grim percentage of cases where perpetrators faced the courts. Only three of the 85 cases where a child was the victim of revenge porn resulted in the perpetrator being charged or facing summons, meaning nearly 97% of people sharing indecent images of children did not face charges.

Children's charity NSPCC said the figures highlighted the importance of parents discussing internet safety with children.

A spokesperson said: “It is shocking that children as young as 12 are becoming victims of revenge porn and underlines why it is so vital that parents and carers have regular online safety chats with our children.

“Sharing nude selfies or videos can put young people at risk of bullying by peers or being targeted by adult sex offenders. By having regular online safety chats with children, young people can feel empowered to say no to sexting requests.

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“The NSPCC has created a guide for families about the risks of sexting, what the law says, and what to do if their child has shared a nude image that is being circulated online or among their peers.”

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "We understand that the consequences of this offence on a victim can be significant and where instances occur where this offence is made out specialist officers situated within our dedicated Safeguarding Units will ordinarily carry out these types of investigations.

"We are dedicated in our approach towards protecting vulnerable persons regardless of the cause and will continue to take rigorous action against those guilty of such offences."