§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for(a) sexual offences involving minors, (b) prostitution and trafficking involving children and (c) possession of child pornography there were in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [152236]
§ Paul GogginsThe available information is contained in the table. Offences connected with prostitution and trafficking involving children cannot be separately identified in the statistics collected centrally.
Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
Persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts for sexual offences1 etc. against minors where the age of the victim is
identified by the offence, 2000–02—England and Wales
Number of persons Offences 22000 2001 2002 Sexual offences involving minors 3,442 4,095 4,422 Child pornography offences 413 486 621 1Principal offence basis. 2Excluding Staffordshire.