Out of Court Disposals
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FIN/25/003319/Z
Version Date: 25/06/2025
The Performance Analysis Department have provided the following information.
I have cast quite a wide net of searches for this one as the “any category” part of this Performance Analysis have searched the Niche Crime Universe for the following offences
Attempt to distribute an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Attempt to possess an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Distribute an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Make indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Permit taking of indecent photo / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Possess indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Possess to show / distribute - indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Publish advert re - indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Send communication / article of an indecent / offensive nature (recordable)
Send letter / communication / article conveying indecent / offensive message (recordable)
Show an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Take / make / distribute indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children
Take an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable)
Send by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message / matter (recordable)
Only 3 of these offences returned results, this has been broken down by outcome in the table below.
Please disclose, since January 1 2023, the use of out-of-court disposals for the following offences.
* Possessing indecent images (any category)
* Making indecent images (any category)
* Distributing indecent images (any category)
For each of those three categories, please breakdown each offence by the method of disposal.
|
Offence / Outcome |
Count |
|
Possess indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (recordable) |
39 |
|
1: Charged |
1 |
|
1: Summonsed/postal requisition |
1 |
|
15: Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
5 |
|
16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified |
3 |
|
18: Investigation complete no suspect identified |
1 |
|
21: Police - named suspect, investigation not in the public interest |
6 |
|
22: Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, has been undertaken and there is no public interest to continue |
1 |
|
3: Adult caution |
2 |
|
Cancelled/transferred |
6 |
|
New |
13 |
|
Send communication / article of an indecent / offensive nature (recordable) |
2171 |
|
1: Charged |
17 |
|
1: Summonsed/postal requisition |
8 |
|
10: Police - formal action not in public interest |
2 |
|
11: Named suspect below age of criminal responsibility |
1 |
|
12: Named suspect identified but is dead or too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute |
5 |
|
14: Victim declines/unable to support action to identify offender |
256 |
|
15: CPS - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
18 |
|
15: Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
410 |
|
16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified |
748 |
|
17: Suspect identified but prosecution time limit expired |
5 |
|
18: Investigation complete no suspect identified |
321 |
|
1A: Alternate offence charged |
6 |
|
1A: Alternate offence summonsed/postal requisition |
1 |
|
20: Other body/agency has investigation primacy |
67 |
|
21: Police - named suspect, investigation not in the public interest |
37 |
|
22: Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, has been undertaken and there is no public interest to continue |
4 |
|
3: Adult conditional caution |
24 |
|
3A: Alternate offence adult caution |
5 |
|
3A: Alternate offence adult conditional caution |
12 |
|
8: Community resolution |
24 |
|
8: Youth restorative disposal |
7 |
|
9: CPS - prosecution not in public interest |
1 |
|
Cancelled/transferred |
176 |
|
New |
15 |
|
RTC - NFA |
1 |
|
Take / make / distribute indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children |
765 |
|
1: Charged |
10 |
|
1: Summonsed/postal requisition |
12 |
|
10: Police - formal action not in public interest |
12 |
|
11: Named suspect below age of criminal responsibility |
14 |
|
12: Named suspect identified but is dead or too ill (physical or mental health) to prosecute |
1 |
|
14: Victim declines/unable to support action to identify offender |
27 |
|
15: CPS - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
1 |
|
15: Police - named suspect, victim supports but evidential difficulties |
85 |
|
16: Victim declines/withdraws support - named suspect identified |
55 |
|
18: Investigation complete no suspect identified |
90 |
|
2: Youth caution |
1 |
|
2: Youth conditional caution |
2 |
|
20: Other body/agency has investigation primacy |
41 |
|
21: Police - named suspect, investigation not in the public interest |
214 |
|
22: Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, has been undertaken and there is no public interest to continue |
16 |
|
5: Offender has died |
3 |
|
8: Youth restorative disposal |
4 |
|
Cancelled/transferred |
65 |
|
New |
112 |
|
Grand Total |
2975 |
For example, how many were issues a caution, how many issues with a Community Resolution Order, and how many received NFA.