A “concerning” increase in revenge porn incidents in the Northumbria Police area has been linked to an overall rise in reported cases of sexual offences.
According to a recently published Northumbria Police and Crime and Commissioner report, there has been a 16% rise in reported cases of sexual offences between May 2024 and May 2025. This equates to an increase from 5,073 to 5,865 incidents.
A further breakdown in the figures shows a 48% in “other sexual crimes”, equating to 437 cases, which has been connected to new crime codes relating to sharing and threatening to share sexual images of another person. National figures from the Revenge Porn Helpline also revealed a 20.9% increase in image abuse reports across 2024.
Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager said: ‘’It is concerning to see a rise in reports of intimate image abuse, though it reflects the rise in reports being seen by the Revenge Porn Helpline. While it is encouraging that the issue is getting increasing attention from the police in Northumbria, and that victims are feeling empowered to make reports, it has been a criminal offence to share such images since 2015, and to threaten to share them since 2021.
“The Online Safety Act updated the legislation, but it is disappointing that it has taken a decade for victims of this horrific abuse to be taken seriously.’’
A Northumbria Police spokesperson: “As a Force, we take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring victims are listened to and receive appropriate support, including from specialist officers. We believe that the rise in figures relates to improved standards of crime recording, victims having greater confidence in coming forward and reporting to police and also a number of historic cases coming to light.
“It can also in part be attributed to new crime codes introduced as part of the Online Offences Act 2023, relating to sharing and threatening to share images.Our dedicated teams carry out thorough and professional investigations to bring perpetrators of sexual offences to justice.
“This includes working with the Crown Prosecution Service and other criminal justice partners to look at how we can bring cases to court. We are also part of the national Operation Soteria initiative, which aims to enhance outcomes for victims and bring meaningful change in how investigations are carried out.
“We are further committed to working with our partners within communities to help prevent incidents from occurring. We would encourage anyone who has been subjected to any form of sexual offence to come forward – please know that we are here for you.”
