FOI Revenge Porn (0502-2022/23)

Request

I request data on involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, which some call ‘revenge porn’. For clarity’s sake, this includes the disclosure of, threats to disclose, or attempts to disclose, private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress.

1. For this request, please provide the number of cases recorded by month, from January 2016 (or, earliest available date, whichever is sooner), up until the most current date at the point of production. In addition to the number of cases, please also provide:
2. The monthly number of cases split by outcome.
3. The monthly number of cases split by whether an arrest was made. 
4. The monthly number of cases split by available victim demographic information (such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and other available demographic information).
5. The monthly number of cases split by the suspect’s relationship to the victim
6. The monthly number of cases split by the suspect’s demographic information (such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and other available demographic information).

Response

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you.

For clarification, the figures below involve the below crimes;

• Disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress
• Disclose or threats to disclose private sexual photographs / film with intent to cause distress.

1. Please see the below table which shows the number of crimes as mentioned above from 01.01.2016 to 17.09.2022, broken down by month.

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
January	3	5	4	3	10	4	6	35
February	1	2	2	9	11	6	14	45
March	2	5	7	2	5	9	7	37
April	1	0	4	4	5	6	4	24
May	1	0	4	6	5	7	6	29
June	0	5	4	1	5	8	8	31
July	2	1	5	5	21	11	5	50
August	1	4	4	8	6	17	10	50
September	1	7	11	4	14	5	7	49
October	2	10	4	5	8	8	-	37
November	3	2	5	7	5	7	-	29
December	1	3	3	10	6	10	-	33
Total	18	44	57	64	101	98	67	449

2. Please see the below table which shows the outcome of the above crimes, broken down by month and separately by year.

Outcome	Charged	Adult Caution	Community Resolution	Evidential Difficulties	No suspect Identified	NFA	No Outcome Recorded	Total
January	5	1	2	19	3	4	1	35
February	1	0	1	32	3	2	6	45
March	1	3	1	20	7	2	3	37
April	1	0	0	15	4	1	3	24
May	3	1	2	13	3	2	5	29
June	1	1	2	10	6	3	8	31
July	2	0	0	22	15	5	6	50
August	2	1	1	24	11	1	10	50
September	6	0	0	28	6	2	7	49
October	6	0	2	21	6	0	2	37
November	3	0	0	17	5	4	0	29
December	3	5	0	13	3	5	4	33
Total	34	12	11	234	72	31	55	449

 

Outcome	Charged	Adult Caution	Community Resolution	Evidential Difficulties	No suspect Identified	NFA	No Outcome Recorded	Total
2016	6	1	-	6	2	3	-	18
2017	3	-	4	29	2	6	-	44
2018	5	2	4	38	5	3	-	57
2019	6	3	1	40	6	8	-	64
2020	8	3	2	52	23	6	7	101
2021	6	2	-	53	29	4	4	98
2022	-	1	-	16	5	1	44	67
Total	34	12	11	234	72	31	55	449

3. Please see the below table which shows the arrest numbers of the above crimes, broken down by year.

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
Arrests	8	6	9	18	23	14	7	85

I am exempting providing you with the monthly breakdown that the arrests took place, pursuant to Section 40(2) Freedom of Information Act (the Act).  This is to ensure anonymity for those involved in each case. I have, however, provided the figures for each year to assist in your request, but maintain the elimination of any identification. Please see exemption explanation below.

4. Please see the below table which shows the Victim gender of the above crimes, broken down by year.

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
Male	3	5	11	15	13	32	15	94
Female	15	38	50	49	88	66	51	357
Unknown	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	4
Total	18	44	61	65	101	99	67	455

Please see the below table which shows the Victims age of the above crimes, broken down by year.

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
0-16	0	3	3	2	7	10	10	35
17-25	7	21	34	33	44	44	21	203
26-30	5	15	10	10	21	15	8	84
31-40	6	3	7	14	18	19	16	83
41-50	0	2	6	4	7	7	6	32
51 +	0	0	1	2	3	4	5	15
Not recorded	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	3
Total	18	44	61	65	101	99	67	455

Please see the below table which shows the Victims Ethnicity of the above crimes, broken down by year. *Please note that ethnicity is not a mandatory field and therefore a large number of these are not recorded.

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
White – British	10	21	31	37	52	42	15	208
White – Irish	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
White – Other	0	1	1	1	0	0	2	5
Mixed – Other	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2
Not Recorded	8	21	28	27	48	57	50	239
Total	18	44	61	65	101	99	67	455

I am exempting providing you with the monthly breakdown of the victims gender, age and ethnicity, pursuant to Section 40(2) Freedom of Information Act (the Act).  This is to ensure anonymity for those involved in each case. I have, however, provided the figures for each year to assist in your request, but maintain the elimination of any identification. Please see exemption explanation below.

5. Please see the below table which shows the Victim and offender relationship for the above crimes.

Victim & Offender Relatinship	Number
Acquaintance	11
Ex-Partner	18
Ex-Spouse	24
Stranger	1
Total	54

I am exempting providing you with the monthly or yearly breakdown of the victim and offender relationship, pursuant to Section 40(2) Freedom of Information Act (the Act).  This is to ensure anonymity for those involved in each case. I have, however, provided the combined figures for 2016 to 2022 to assist in your request, but maintain the elimination of any identification. Please see exemption explanation below.

6. Please see the below table which shows the Offender Ethnicity of the above crimes, broken down by year. *Please note that ethnicity is not a mandatory field and therefore a large number of these are not recorded.

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total
White – British	7	5	7	10	8	8	0	45
White – Other	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Not Recorded	0	0	0	0	6	2	0	8
Total	7	5	7	10	15	10	0	54

I am exempting providing you with the breakdown of the offenders gender and age as well as the monthly breakdown of the offenders ethnicity, pursuant to Section 40(2) Freedom of Information Act (the Act).  This is to ensure anonymity for those involved in each case. I have, however, provided the figures for each year to assist in your request, but maintain the elimination of any identification. Please see exemption explanation below.

Exemption Explanation

Where an individual can be identified by such data, releasing it would clearly breach the first data protection principle of being ‘fair’ to the data subject.

Section 17 of the Act requires North Yorkshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

Section 40(2) is an absolute class based exemption, which does not require a public interest test, but requires the balancing of the legitimate interests of the public against the interests of the individual under the first Data Protection Principle; in that processing of personal data must be lawful and fair (DPA 2018 35(1), EUGDPR Article 5(1)).

This exemption applies because the right given under the FOI Act to request official information held by public authorities does not apply to the personal data of third parties where disclosure of that information would not be fair to the individual, and where there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.

In all the circumstances of the case it has been determined that the duty to the individual under the Data Protection Act 2018 & EU General Data Protection Regulations, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure of personal information held by the force in such instances, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.  In this instance, personal information can only be disclosed to the individual concerned. 

Releasing personal details to a person other than the data subject would not only breach the data subject’s Data Protection rights it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights

 

Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to your request.

 

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.