Around 13 sex offences happened each day in Lancashire in the last year

New data from LegalExpert.co.uk has revealed a total of 4,797 sex offences were recorded by Lancashire Constabulary between September 2022 to September 2023.

Blackpool was the area where sex offences were most likely to happen in Lancashire, with almost a fifth of incidents occurring in the district. Other areas that had high rates of sex offences included Blackburn (17 per cent), Preston (16 per cent) and Burnley (10 per cent).

Further data obtained from Lancashire Constabulary revealed the most common type of sex offence reported was sexual assault of a female aged 13 or over, which made up 23 per cent of incidents.

Other common incident types included the rape of a female aged 16 or over (18 per cent) and sexual activity with a child under 16 years-old (12 per cent). Females were also more likely to be targeted by suspected sex offenders, whilst males were more likely to be suspected of committing an offence.

In addition, 14 year-olds were more likely to be targeted by sex offenders, whilst 13 year-olds were more likely to be suspected of offending.

A spokesperson from the Criminal Injury Team at JF Law, which owns the LegalExpert.co.uk brand, said: “The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and recent high-profile cases have brought sexual and physical abuse to the forefront of public policy. Many people are not aware that there does not need to be a conviction to claim.

“This means that even for those victims let down by the criminal justice system, there is still an opportunity to obtain a financial remedy which may help victims achieve a sense of closure.”