Sex offences

Fact checks related to sexual violence, harassment and assault

28 July 2022

No evidence Keir Starmer tried to block the prosecution of Muslim grooming gangs

Widely-shared posts on Facebook make an unsubstantiated claim about Mr Starmer’s work for the Crown Prosecution Service.

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No evidence Keir Starmer tried to block the prosecution of Muslim grooming gangs
8 October 2021

Most police have not been found guilty of sexual misconduct

This claim comes from confusion over another statistic, about the proportion of those in one force found to have committed sexual misconduct who kept their jobs.

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Most police have not been found guilty of sexual misconduct
16 September 2021

CCTV showing woman’s drink being spiked is a dramatisation

A video on social media which shows a woman’s drink being spiked was staged for ‘entertainment purposes’.

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CCTV showing woman’s drink being spiked is a dramatisation
25 March 2021

Police have recommended the Hollie Guard app

The personal security app allows users to alert contacts if they feel unsafe.

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Police have recommended the Hollie Guard app
24 July 2020

Many children have been the victims of grooming gangs, but there’s no evidence for a figure of one million

We can’t objectively compare the public response to grooming gangs with Black Lives Matter

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Many children have been the victims of grooming gangs, but there’s no evidence for a figure of one million
16 August 2019

How many rapists reoffend?

Each year in England and Wales, roughly 40-60 people are convicted of rape who had previous rape convictions.

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How many rapists reoffend?
16 October 2018

35% of girls wearing school uniform have been sexually harassed in public

35% of 14-21 year-olds said they had experienced unwanted sexual attention or unwanted sexual or physical contact while wearing school uniform in public.

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35% of girls wearing school uniform have been sexually harassed in public
27 June 2018

Upskirting: what’s the legal situation?

We’ve looked at how the current law applies to “upskirting” and how proposed legislation would change this.

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Upskirting: what’s the legal situation?
26 June 2018

Sexual harassment in the workplace

Estimates for workplace sexual harassment vary depending on whether surveys define acts of sexual harassment. One survey estimated 20% of UK female workers experienced sexual harassment.

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Sexual harassment in the workplace
2 February 2018

Allegations of rape

It’s impossible to know how many false allegations of rape are made, but the evidence suggests that proven cases are rare. 3-4% of allegations is a reasonable estimate.

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Allegations of rape

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