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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Amelia Gentleman

Police routinely failing to investigate ‘revenge porn’, research reveals

A posed shot of an anxious woman
Data from 39 police forces in England and Wales shows that charges were lodged against perpetrators in an average of just 4.5% of cases. Photograph: Microgen Images//Getty Images/Science Photo Library

Police forces are routinely failing to investigate complaints about the circulation of image-based abuse, previously known as “revenge pornography”, according to research that has triggered a super-complaint over the way such crimes are handled.

Lawyers have gathered evidence from 100 people who reported intimate images being shared online without their consent. Their research suggests that image-based abuse is still frequently dismissed or not recognised as criminal offending, despite being described by the former prime minister Keir Starmer as a national emergency.

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