HC Deb 10 February 2000 vol 344 cc252-3W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were reported to the police alleging child abuse in (a) Cleveland, (b) Northern Region and (c) the United Kingdom in each of the last three years; and how many in each category resulted in a conviction. [109460]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The number of alleged child abuse cases reported to the police is not available. Recorded crime data do not give information about victims unless this is implicit in the description of the offence. The offences of gross indecency with a child, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 are the only sexual offences recorded which explicitly involve children as victims. Offences of violence against the person which explicitly involve children as victims include cruelty to and neglect of children, abandoning a child under two years, and child abduction. There are many other violent and sexual offences which could involve children as victims. Cruelty to and neglect of children has been a recorded crime since 1 April 1998. The recorded crime figures for the other five offences given, and cruelty to and neglect of children, are as follows:

Year ending Cleveland North East Government Region England and Wales
March 1997 19 119 3,080
March 1998 23 106 2,999
March 19991 12 129 3,125
Cruelty to and neglect of children
March 19991 8 89 2,300
1Compiled under the revised counting rules in force from 1 April 1998.

Conviction data, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, are not directly comparable with recorded crime figures, as they relate to individuals found guilty rather than offences. The number of persons convicted for the five offences given above from 1996 to 1998 (calendar years) are as follows:

1996 1997 1998
Cleveland 5 3 7
North East Government Region 25 28 46
England and Wales 475 451 546

The number of persons convicted for cruelty to or neglect of children from 1996 to 1998 (calendar years) are as follows:

1996 1997 1998
Cleveland 3 1 4
North East Government Region 19 21 14
England and Wales 293 390 390