Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many successful prosecutions have been made for new criminal offences created by the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
I wrote to you on this important subject on Friday 17 May 2024. For completeness, I set out my full written response below.
Tackling violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls remains one of this government’s top priorities. Women and girls should be able to go about their lives without being subjected to unwanted sexual images. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour.
As you know, this government has recently enacted new offences designed to tackle online offending through the Online Safety Act 2023. This includes the offence of cyberflashing and other intimate image offences.
The CPS has welcomed the enactment of these new offences designed to target predatory behaviour and non-contact sexual offences. It has introduced comprehensive updates to prosecution guidance to support prosecutors to better recognise behaviour-driven and escalating offending. Additionally, it has published ‘Communications Offences’ legal guidance which includes online offences relating to violence against women and girls.
Whilst this legislation is still new, the police are referring more cases to the CPS for charging decisions and I can confirm the CPS secured their first conviction for cyberflashing in February 2024, resulting in the offender being jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court. I am unable to provide detail on any other cases where there may be live criminal proceedings.
Regrettably, I am unable to provide you with data on prosecutions under the Online Safety Act yet. However, in July the CPS will publish its next data summary covering the period January to March 2024 and after this summary release, more granular data may be shared publicly. This pause ahead of publishing data allows for quality assurance checks and internal scrutiny before publication.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions have been made under new criminal offences created by the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
I wrote to you on this important subject on Friday 17 May 2024. For completeness, I set out my full written response below.
Tackling violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls remains one of this government’s top priorities. Women and girls should be able to go about their lives without being subjected to unwanted sexual images. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour.
As you know, this government has recently enacted new offences designed to tackle online offending through the Online Safety Act 2023. This includes the offence of cyberflashing and other intimate image offences.
The CPS has welcomed the enactment of these new offences designed to target predatory behaviour and non-contact sexual offences. It has introduced comprehensive updates to prosecution guidance to support prosecutors to better recognise behaviour-driven and escalating offending. Additionally, it has published ‘Communications Offences’ legal guidance which includes online offences relating to violence against women and girls.
Whilst this legislation is still new, the police are referring more cases to the CPS for charging decisions and I can confirm the CPS secured their first conviction for cyberflashing in February 2024, resulting in the offender being jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court. I am unable to provide detail on any other cases where there may be live criminal proceedings.
Regrettably, I am unable to provide you with data on prosecutions under the Online Safety Act yet. However, in July the CPS will publish its next data summary covering the period January to March 2024 and after this summary release, more granular data may be shared publicly. This pause ahead of publishing data allows for quality assurance checks and internal scrutiny before publication.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will make representations to the Serious Fraud Office to open an inquiry into any activity of Lloyds Bank Consumer Debt Recovery and Alder King.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Serious Fraud Office is an independent Government department which investigates and prosecutes serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption. In considering whether to take on an investigation, the Director David Green CB QC applies a Statement of Principle, which includes consideration of:
The SFO has given full and lengthy consideration to allegations against Lloyds Bank Consumer Debt Recovery and Alder King but they did not meet the threshold for the Director to open an SFO investigation.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps the Serious Fraud Office has taken to prevent serious fraud and other economic crimes.
Answered by Robert Buckland
Over the past two years the Serious Fraud Office has secured: