Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the current criminal law in prosecutions relating to online fantasy discussions depicting serious violence and child sexual abuse.

Online discussions about violence and child sexual abuse (including fantasies) can be prosecuted under different criminal offences, including the Obscene Publications Act 1959. Offences under the Communications Act 2003 are also available. Decisions on whether to prosecute are for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is independent of government and makes such decisions on a case-by-case basis. However, the Government recognises concerns about this issue, and continues to keep the criminal law, including the law on child sexual abuse, under review.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions for a wide range of offences including prosecutions under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the Communications Act 2003 in the Outcomes by Offence data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK

Data held centrally does not record information relating to the circumstances of the offending including whether offences originated from "online fantasy discussions depicting serious violence and child sexual abuse”.