New data reveals that laws against revenge porn are catastrophically failing women across the UK, with the vast majority of perpetrators evading justice. Official Home Office statistics show that over the past five years, a mere 3.2 per cent of suspects were charged out of more than 40,000 cases investigated by police.
A System Overwhelmed and Underperforming
The distressing figures indicate that thousands of cases were either left unsolved or closed due to a critical lack of evidence. In total, 40,110 offences were reported to police – equating to roughly one report every single hour. Despite this epidemic, the justice system is struggling to hold abusers accountable.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the statistics as "absolutely staggering." He stated, "We must do more to ensure perpetrators are held accountable and victims are properly supported so the system doesn’t fail women." Philp highlighted previous government actions, including outlawing revenge porn and upskirting, but conceded that more needs to be done.
The Looming Threat of AI-Generated Abuse
Experts are warning that the problem is set to escalate dramatically due to the rise of artificial intelligence. So-called ‘nudification’ apps and other powerful AI software can now create lifelike fake sexual images or insert a victim’s face into explicit videos – known as deepfakes.
This technology lowers the barrier for abuse, making it easier for perpetrators to harass and humiliate victims without needing original intimate material. The issue gained global attention last year with the circulation of AI-generated deepfake images of pop star Taylor Swift.
A High-Profile Case and Persistent Challenges
A landmark case saw Love Island star Georgia Harrison successfully take her ex-boyfriend to court. In 2023, Stephen Bear was jailed for 21 months at Chelmsford Crown Court for voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual images of Ms Harrison without her consent.
Despite a law change in January 2024 designed to make prosecutions easier by lowering the evidential threshold, the results remain dismal. Figures for that year show that just 254 charges were brought from 7,912 reported cases. In nearly 4,000 instances, police identified a suspect but could not gather sufficient evidence to proceed.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "Sharing intimate images without consent is a serious crime with devastating impacts... The number of charges we have brought for these vile offences has increased every year since 2020 and we will continue to work with police to deliver justice for victims."
The data paints a clear picture of a legal framework struggling to keep pace with a digital crisis, leaving countless women without the protection or justice they deserve.
