Publication date:
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) today published its Statistical Bulletin: Cases Involving Sexual Offences 2025/26. The Bulletin presents key statistics in relation to the prosecution of sexual offences, including caseloads and prosecutorial decisions. It also includes statistics on the outcomes of prosecutions at court involving these offences.
The Bulletin presents key statistics for the 2025/26 financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) and includes comparisons with the 2024/25 financial year. It provides a statistical overview of all sexual offences, including an analysis of cases involving rape.
Catherine Kierans, the Head of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) Serious Crime Unit, said: “Sexual offences can have a devastating and lifelong impact on victims. We recognise that reporting these crimes often requires considerable courage, and that engaging with the criminal justice process can be difficult. We know that victims place significant trust in the criminal justice system, and I want to acknowledge the bravery of all victims.
"To anyone who has reported a sexual offence, or is considering doing so, please be assured that we are committed to treating every person with dignity, sensitivity and respect throughout the process.
“Cases involving serious sexual offences, including rape, are dealt with by specialist prosecutors in the PPS Serious Crime Unit who are trained and experienced in handling these sensitive cases. We recognise the impact trauma can have on victims and take this into account throughout our engagement with them.
“The PPS makes prosecution decisions fairly, independently and impartially, applying the Test for Prosecution in every case. Where the Test is met, we will pursue prosecutions robustly. Where it is not met, we recognise that this can be difficult for victims to hear, and we seek to explain our decisions clearly and sensitively."
Ms Kierans said that sexual offences cases present challenges for the whole criminal justice system for a variety of reasons.
“Sexual offence cases are among the most complex dealt with by investigators, prosecutors, the judiciary and the courts. They frequently involve extensive digital and other evidential material, are less likely to result in a guilty plea, and often require victims to give evidence in court. These cases often turn on issues of consent and, as a result, conviction rates are typically lower than for many other offence types," she said.
“We publish these statistics each year as part of our commitment to openness and transparency, and to help improve understanding of how these cases are handled in the criminal justice system.”
Turning to the findings of this year’s Bulletin, Ms Kierans said it reflected the scale and complexity of work undertaken on these cases.
“We received 1,645 files involving a sexual offence in 2025-26, which was broadly in line with 2024-25 (1,613 files). The PPS issued more than 1,700 prosecutorial decisions in sexual offences cases, a slight increase of 2.8% on 2024/25 (1,667 decisions),” she said.
“The Test for Prosecution was met for at least one offence in 35% of decisions. This represents an increase from 2024/25 (31.6%). The Test for Prosecution was met in relation to a sexual offence for 29.5% of decisions, which represents an increase from 2024/25 (26.9%).”
Key findings
During the 2025/26 financial year:
- The PPS received a total of 1,645 files involving a sexual offence. This was an increase of 2.0% on 2024/25 (1,613). There was a decrease of 8.8% in the number of files received involving an offence of rape, from 616 to 562.
- Files received included a total of 1,702 suspects, 581 of whom were charged or reported for rape (a decrease of 7.8% on 2024/25) and 1,121 were in respect of other sexual offences (an increase of 7.5%).
- 1,714 prosecutorial decisions were issued by the PPS in respect of suspects in cases involving sexual offences. The Test for Prosecution was met in respect of 35.0% of decisions, which included 600 decisions for prosecution or diversion from the courts. At 35.0%, the percentage of decisions meeting the Test represents an increase from 2024/25 (31.6%).
- Of the 1,114 no prosecution decisions issued during 2025/26, the vast majority (99.5%) did not pass the evidential test. The remaining 0.5% did not pass the public interest test.
- Median days for the issue of indictable prosecution decisions (prosecution in the Crown Court) in cases involving sexual offences was 141 calendar days (133 days in 2024/25). Median days for summary prosecution decisions (prosecution in the Magistrates’ or Youth Courts) was 55 days (37 in 2024/25).
- A total of 207 defendants were dealt with in the Crown Court in cases involving sexual offences. The overall conviction rate was 75.4% compared with 74.1% in 2024/25.
- Sixty defendants were dealt with in the Crown Court for an offence of rape and forty-three (71.7%) of these were convicted of at least one offence (i.e., any offence). Eighteen defendants (30.0%) were convicted of an offence of rape.
- A total of 202 defendants were dealt with in the Magistrates’ and Youth Courts for a sexual offence during 2025/26. The overall conviction rate was 68.3% compared with 73.3% in 2024/25.
Ms Kierans said: “Meaningful reform takes time. While challenges remain, progress is being made through sustained collaborative effort across the criminal justice system. In September 2026, the PPS and PSNI launched a new Joint Strategy for Investigating and Prosecuting Serious Sexual Offences to further strengthen collaboration between investigators and prosecutors from the earliest stages of a case. The strategy was developed with valuable input from organisations that support and advocate for victims.
“Work is already underway to deliver on the strategy's commitments, building on existing initiatives to enhance investigations and prosecutorial approaches, reduce avoidable delay and improve communication with victims."
Ms Kierans added: “Sexual abuse and violence should never be tolerated or excused. Tackling it requires sustained action across society, with government, education, healthcare, community organisations and the criminal justice system all playing a role in supporting victims and challenging harmful attitudes.
“The PPS will continue to work with partners across the criminal justice system and victim support organisations to improve how these cases are handled and to build confidence among victims.
“To anyone who has experienced a sexual offence, I want to emphasise that responsibility lies solely with the offender. You are not to blame. If you choose to report an offence, support is available.
We recognise that the criminal justice process can be daunting, and through our Victim and Witness Care Unit and our work with support organisations, we will continue to try to ensure victims are informed, supported and treated with compassion and respect throughout their experience.”
Further information
- The full bulletin may be viewed or downloaded on the PPS website.
- This summary should be read in conjunction with the user information provided (see pages 13 - 14 of the Statistical Bulletin).
- These are ‘Official Statistics’ as defined in Section 6 of the Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007. Statisticians from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency are on loan to the PPS and are responsible for ensuring that the statistics produced comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
- The information presented in this bulletin is derived from the Case Management System, the main operational system within the PPS. This is a ‘live’ system with data being input on a daily basis.
Any member of the public may comment on the report by contacting PPS as follows:
Statistics and Research Policy and Information UnitPublic Prosecution ServiceBelfast Chambers93 Chichester StreetBelfast BT1 3JRTel: 02890 897100Deaf / hard of hearing (SMS): 07795 675528
Email: info@ppsni.gov.uk- For Media Enquiries only during office hours (from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm) please contact the PPS Communications Unit at: PPSPressOffice@ppsni.gov.uk
- For urgent queries outside of normal office hours, the out of hours duty press officer can be contacted on: 07920 271 804 or 07920 418844