Cambridgeshire child, 11, is youngest alleged '˜revenge porn' victim FOI reveals
A child of 11 from Cambridgeshire is one of the youngest alleged victims of '˜revenge porn' in the country, official statistics have revealed.
They also show that in the nine months since the law came into effect, Cambridgeshire police have investigated 26 alleged instances of the crime.
Revenge porn is when a partner or ex-partner distributes images or videos of a sexual nature without the person’s consent.
The data, which was revealed due to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC, shows that between April and December 2015, there were 1,160 allegations across the UK.
There were 1,160 reported incidents of revenge pornography from April 2015 to December 2015
Three victims were 11 years old with some 30% of offences involving young people under 19
The average age of a revenge porn victim was 25
Around 11% of reported offences resulted in the alleged perpetrator being charged, 7% in a caution and 5% in a community resolution
Some 61% of reported offences resulted in no action being taken against the alleged perpetrator. Among the main reasons cited by police include a lack of evidence or the victim withdrawing support
Facebook was used by perpetrators in 68% of cases where social media was mentioned in reports. Then came Instagram (12%) followed by Snapchat (5%)
Laura Higgins, of the Revenge Porn Helpline, told the BBC that being a victim was a “hugely distressing, damaging and violating experience”.