Relationship Between Victims and Reported Suspects for Sexual and Assault Offences, Q3 2021-Q3 2022

The reported suspect was known to just over eight in ten victims of Sexual offences

The reported suspect was known to 83% of all recorded victims of Sexual offences between Q3 2021 and Q3 2022. See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.

One fifth of reported suspects were a friend or acquaintance of victims of Sexual offences

Just over one fifth (21%) of reported suspects of Sexual offences were a friend or acquaintance of the victim while a further 17% were a stranger to the victim. In 16% of Sexual offences the reported suspect was a Blood relative while a partner or ex-partner accounted for 15% of reported suspects. See Figure 2.2 and Table 2.1.

Reported suspects for Sexual offences against male victims more likely to be a person in an authority or with care responsibilities than for female victims

The reported suspect was a person in an authority or with care responsibilities for 13% of male victims of Sexual offences compared with just 2% for females. In contrast, partners/ex-partners accounted for 18% of reported suspects for female victims of Sexual offences compared with just 1% for males. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.1.

In other relationship types:

• Blood relatives were the reported suspect for 23% of Sexual offences against males while the corresponding share for female victims was 14%.
• In about a fifth of Sexual offences against males and females, the reported suspect was a friend or acquaintance.
• Strangers to the victim were the reported suspect for 18% of Sexual offences against females compared to 14% for males. See Figure 2.3 and Table 2.1.

Blood relatives were the reported suspect for nearly three out of every ten Sexual offences committed against persons aged under 18 years

Blood relatives were the reported suspect for 29% of Sexual offences committed against victims under 18 years at the time of the incident. This compares to 2% or less for all other age groups. See Figure 2.4 and Table 2.2.

Friends or acquaintances were the reported suspect for a fifth (20%) of all Sexual offences for those aged under 18 and this was somewhat similar for the other age groups. The highest share among the other age groups was in respect of victims aged 45 years and over (26%) and lowest (20%) for those aged 30-44 years. 

Partners or ex-partners were the reported suspect for a higher share of Sexual offences committed against those aged 30-44 years than in other age groups. Partners or ex-partners were the reported suspect for 40% of such offences against persons in the 30-44 age group compared with 18% for each of the age groups 18-29 years and those aged 45 years or over. In just 6% of sexual offences against persons under 18, the reported suspect was a partner or ex-partner. 

Strangers were the reported suspect for a higher share of Sexual offences against persons aged 18-29 at the time of the incident than in other age groups. In three out of every ten (30%) Sexual offences against persons aged 18-29 years the reported suspect was a stranger and nearly a quarter (24%) of victims aged 45 years or more. The share was less for victims aged 30-44 years (15%) and those under 18 years (10%). See Figure 2.4 and Table 2.2.

Just under half of victims of Sexual offences where a current partner or spouse was the reported suspect were aged 30-44 years at the time of the incident

When the reported suspect was a current partner or spouse, just under half (49%) of victims of Sexual offences were aged 30-44 years at the time of the incident. This age group also accounted for just under a third (32%) of victims where a former partner or spouse was the reported suspect. See Figure 2.5 and Table 2.3.

Nearly all (94%) of Sexual offences where the reported suspect was a blood relative were against persons under 18 years at the time of the incident.

Among other relationship categories:

• Over half of Sexual offences (54%) where the reported suspect was a colleague or work relationship were against persons in the 18-29 year age group.
• Nearly eight out of ten (79%) Sexual offences where the reported suspect was a friend or acquaintance were committed against persons who were aged under 30 years when the incident occurred.
• Strangers to the victim were more likely to be the reported suspect for Sexual offences against persons in the younger age groups. Just under half (49%) of offences by strangers to the victim were against persons aged 18-29 years when the incident occurred and nearly three out of ten (29%) were against those aged less than 18 years. This compares to just 12% for those in the 30-44 year age group and 9% for those aged 45 years or more. See Figure 2.5 and Table 2.3.

 

Blood relatives of the victim were the reported suspect for a higher share of Sexual offences reported over a year after occurrence than those reported within a year

The crime incident reporting gap is the time between when a crime incident takes place and when it is reported to An Garda Síochána.

Blood relatives were the reported suspect for just under a third (32%) of all Sexual offences reported more than a year after occurrence compared with just 6% of those reported within a year. By contrast, strangers were the reported suspect for over a quarter (26%) of Sexual offences reported within a year of occurrence compared with just 3% of those reported thereafter.

The shares for Sexual offences where the reported suspect was a partner and ex-partner was both quite similar – 14% were reported within a year of occurrence and 15% were reported after a year. See Figure 2.6 and Table 2.4.

Nearly all Sexual offences where the reported suspect was a stranger to the victim were reported within a year of occurrence

Nearly all (94%) of Sexual offences where the reported suspect was a stranger to the victim were reported within a year of occurrence. A similar pattern was also observed where the reported suspect was a current partner or spouse (85%), colleague or work relationship (84%) and a friend or acquaintance (76%).

By contrast, when the reported suspect was a blood relative or other household member, Sexual offences were much more likely to be reported more than a year after the crime incident occurred than earlier. Just over three out four (76%) Sexual offences by a blood relative were reported more than a year after occurrence while the corresponding share for offences by other household members was almost seven out of every ten (68%). See Figure 2.7 and Table 2.5.