Recorded Crime Victims 2024 and Suspected Offenders 2023

The relationship data in the following tables shows the nature of the relationship between victims and suspected offenders for recorded crime incidents for selected detected offence groups in 2023 that had been marked as detected by 2025. Please see Background Notes for a description of each relationship category.

The data presented is based on detected crime and only where the relationship between both is known.

The crime category ‘Attempts/Threats to Murder, Assaults, Harassment and Related offences’ may be referred to as ‘Assault & Related offences’ in this section.

The relationship category ‘suspected offender unknown to the victim’ will be referred to as ‘stranger.’

The suspected offender was known to the victim in seven in ten crime incidents of Sexual offences in 2023 that have been detected

The suspected offender was known to the victim in seven out every ten (70%) of crime incidents of Sexual offences in 2023 that were detected by March 2025.

In 16% of Sexual offence crime incidents, the suspected offender was a friend or acquaintance of the victim and was a blood relative in 13% of same. Current or former intimate partners or spouses accounted for 8% of all suspected offenders for this offence group. In just under a fifth (18%) of detected crime incidents, the suspected was classified as ‘other suspected offenders known to the victim’ this category could be considered less personal in nature to the other categories where the suspected offender was known to the victim. The suspected offender was a stranger to the victim in three out of every ten (30%) such detected crime incidents.

There were some differences in the profile of suspected offenders for male and female victims. These included:

• Friends or acquaintances were more than twice as likely to be the suspected offender for female victims (18%) compared with males (8%).
• A much higher share of suspected offenders of such detected crime incidents against males (29%) than females (1%) involved a person in a position of authority or with care responsibilities.
• Blood relatives were the suspected offender for 14% of detected offences against males and 13% of offences against females.
• Strangers were the suspected offender for 30% of detected crime incidents of Sexual offences against females compared with 25% for males. See Figures 5.1 & 5.2, Table 5.1, and PxStat Table CVA12.

Two thirds of suspected offenders of crime incidents of Assault & Related offences in 2023 that were detected were known to the victims

The suspected offender was known to the victim in two thirds (65%) of detected crime incidents of Assault & Related offences from 2023 that had been detected by March 2025.

Friends or acquaintances accounted for 13% of suspected offenders while the share for current and former intimate partners or spouses was 8% and 6%, respectively. The share of blood relatives among suspected offenders was 7% while those in a position of authority or in a care relationship accounted for 5% of suspected offenders. The share of other suspected offenders known to the victim was 23%. In about a third (35%) of such detected crime incidents, the suspected offender was a stranger to the victim.

Again, like Sexual offences above, there are some notable differences for in the profile of the relationship with suspected offenders for male and female victims. These are as follows:

• Females were far more likely to be victim where the suspected offender was a current or former intimate partner or spouse. Current partners or spouses were the suspected offender in a fifth (19%) of such detected crime incidents while it was 13% for former partners or spouses. For male victims, the combined share combined was 2%.
• Nearly three in ten (26%) detected crime incidents involving male victims involved other suspected offenders known to the victim compared with 20% for females.
• In just over four in ten (45%) detected Assault & Related offences involving male victims, the suspected offender was a stranger compared to two in ten (20%) detected offences with female victims. See Figures 5.3 & 5.4, Table 5.1, and PxStat Table CVA12.

Blood relatives were the suspected offender for a quarter of detected crime incidents of Sexual offences committed against persons aged under 18 years in 2023

Blood relatives were the suspected offender for just over a quarter (26%) of crime incidents of Sexual offences in 2023 involving victims who were under 18 years at the time of occurrence that were detected by 2025. A similar share (26%) was accounted for other suspected offenders known to the victim.

Friends or acquaintances were the suspected offender for between 15% and 17% of all such detected crime incidents across all age victim age groups. One in ten of these detected crime incidents involving victims under 18 years of age when the incident occurred had a person in authority or with care responsibilities as the suspected offender. 

Strangers were likely to be the suspected offender for the older age groups. The suspected offender was a stranger for nearly half (49%) of detected crime incidents involving victims aged between 18 and 29 years and in 40% of cases involving victims 30 years or more at the time of the incident. This compares with 12% for victims under 18 years.

Partners or ex-partners were the suspected offender for a higher share of these detected crime incidents committed against those aged 30 years or more than in other age groups. Partners or ex-partners were the suspected offender for 17% of such detected offences against persons aged 30 years or more compared with 11% for victims aged 18-29 years and 2% for those under 18 years. See Figure 5.5, Table 5.2 and PxStat Table CVA13.

A quarter of crime incidents of Assault & Related offences in 2023 involving victims under 18 years that were detected a friend or acquaintance as the suspected offender

Friends or acquaintances were the suspected offender for a quarter (24%) of detected crime incidents of Assault & Related offences from 2023 against persons under 18 years of age at the time of the incident. This compares with 11% for both victims aged 18-29 years and those aged 30 years or more.

The suspected offender was a Blood Relative for a higher share of crime incidents involving victims under 18 years of age than for other age groups. Blood Relatives were the suspected offenders in 10% of cases involving victims aged under 18 years compared with 8% for those aged 30 years or more and 4% for those aged 18-29 years at the time of the incident. Current or ex-partners were responsible for between 16% and 17% of those involving victims aged 18-29 years and those 30 years or more.

Finally, like Sexual offences above, strangers were more likely to be the suspected for the older age groups. For example, four in ten (40%) detected crime incidents where the victim was aged between 18 and 29 years involved a suspected offender who was a stranger. See Figure 5.6, Table 5.2 and PxStat Table CVA13.