Worrying rise in sex offences involving juveniles in 2017
Sexual offences by juveniles rose sharply last year, with children under 18 accounting for more than a third of all recorded sex crimes, Garda figures show.
Cases of minors caught in possession of child pornography almost trebled in 2017, with around half of the incidents involving the sharing, and often uploading, of images among peers.
The Juvenile Diversion Programme Monitoring Committee annual report for 2017 shows a significant rise in offences by juveniles, with particular hikes in violent crimes, including murder threats, aggravated burglaries, robberies, and weapons offences.
The report showed that while 5% of children referred to the programme had been linked to six or more crimes, some two-thirds of those who were deemed unsuitable had been linked to six or more crimes and it said this cohort should be tracked and targeted so as not to become repeat adult offenders.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris yesterday announced an external review of a Garda examination over concerns regarding the handling of thousands of unsuitable referrals between 2010-2017.
The Diversion Programme’s annual report shows that there was a 20% jump in sexual offences, from 334 in 2016 to 400 in 2017. This compares to 253 in 2013, 247 in 2014 and 241 in 2015.
The figure for 2017 means that juveniles were responsible for 35% of all sexual offences recorded in that year.
The reported showed:
- A 37% rise in sexual assault (not aggravated), from 163 to 224;
- A 181% jump in child pornography (as recorded by Gardaí), from 21 to 59;
- A 36% drop in rape of a male or female, from 114 to 73
The report said an analysis of the 59 child pornography cases showed 18 involved child exploitation as described in the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.
Nine involved ‘consensual peer to peer sharing’ of personal images, 20 were consensual peer to peer sharing of personal images and then shared online “without consent”, nine cases involved taking of images without consent and sharing online and three involved the face of a child being superimposed onto another image and shared online.
The report said: “They were actions taken by children not aware that their actions constitute offences contrary to the Child and Pornography Act 1998.
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It said the increase in these referrals and the circumstances surrounding them “highlights the need for appropriate modernised legislation” and “educating children about their behaviour and safety online”.
This included “increasing awareness that the sharing of images of themselves or their peers under 18 years of age is a criminal offence under current legislation”.
It said 47 of 355 sexual offences involved the offence of defilement (sex with a child under the age of 15 or 17).
In 30 of the 47 cases, it said the “offender and injured party were in a relationship and had made the mutual decision to engage in sexual behaviour”.
It said: “In many cases both parties were not aware that by engaging in such behaviour, the male was committing a criminal offence.”