Revenge porn linked to rise in sex offence reports

An increase in revenge porn incidents linked to an overall rise in reported cases of sexual offences is “concerning”, a helpline boss has said.

Reported cases of sexual offences in the Northumbria Police area rose by 16%, from 5,073 to 5,865, between May 2024 and May 2025, according to a Northumbria Police and Crime and Commissioner report.

The rise has in part been attributed to legislation changes to tackle revenge porn and the illegal sharing of images.

Revenge Porn Helpline manager Sophie Mortimer said while it is encouraging more people are now coming forward, it is “disappointing” it has taken so long for the crime to be taken seriously.

Revenge porn is the sharing of private, sexual photos or videos of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress.

Ms Mortimer said: “It is concerning to see a rise in reports of intimate image abuse, though it reflects the rise in reports being seen by the Revenge Porn Helpline.

“While it is encouraging the issue is getting increasing attention from the police in Northumbria, and that victims are feeling empowered to make reports, it has been a criminal offence to share such images since 2015, and to threaten to share them since 2021.”

She said the Online Safety Act updated the legislation, but added “it is disappointing it has taken a decade for victims of this horrific abuse to be taken seriously”.

A breakdown of the figures shows a 48% in “other sexual crimes”, equating to 437 cases, which have been connected to new crime codes in the Online Offences Act 2023 relating to sharing and threatening to share sexual images of another person.

National figures from the Revenge Porn Helpline also show a 20.9% increase in image abuse reports across 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson: “We believe the rise in figures relates to improved standards of crime recording, victims having greater confidence in coming forward and reporting to police and also a number of historic cases coming to light.”

Police urged anyone who has been subjected to any form of sexual offence to come forward.

If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, help is available via the BBC Action Line