Fears that 'persistent' rise in sex crimes will increase further

Rape crisis groups say the continuing rise in official statistics on sex crimes could reflect both an increase in reporting and in offences — and they fear a rise in sexual violence in the home because of measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show a 4% rise in reported sexual offences in 2019, part of a 45% jump in reported sex crimes since 2015.