Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions were brought against people for distribution of explicit photographs when the permission of the photograph's subject had not been obtained in the last year for which figures are available.

The Government believes the posting of revenge porn, which these questions appear to be directed towards, is a despicable act and is one which can have devastating consequences for the victim.

The Government is looking at this area of the law to ensure it is fully equipped to deal with this behaviour.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences according to the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but without detailing the specific circumstances of each case.

It is therefore neither possible to identify from this centrally held information whether an offender was prosecuted for the ‘distribution of explicit photographs', nor whether in each case the permission of the photograph's subject had been obtained.