Just 5% of reported domestic sexual offences in Jersey resulted in a court conviction over the past four years, new data has revealed.
Out of 130 reported domestic sexual offences between 2020 and 2024, only 20 cases were prosecuted – with just seven leading to convictions.
The figures were revealed by Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat this week in response to a written question from Deputy Max Andrews.
So far in 2025, seven new domestic sexual offences have been recorded, bringing the total to 137 – although none of this year’s cases have gone to court.
The vast majority of victims were female, accounting for 126 of the total recorded cases compared to 11 male victims.
The number of cases involving female victims doubled from 15 in 2020 to 30 in 2024.
The most common offence recorded was the rape of a female – which accounted for 89 of the 137 total cases. Of these, only 13 resulted in charges, and just four ended in conviction.
For male victims, only one of the 11 reported cases was charged, and none resulted in a conviction.
The Home Affairs Minister acknowledged that domestic sexual offences, which account for roughly one-fifth of all sexual offences reported, appear to be under-reported.
Deputy Le Hegarat said: “Most incidents/offences reported to the police are not isolated and it is well documented that domestic abuse in all its forms usually escalates over time.”
Pictured: Only 5% of domestic sexual offence reports in Jersey have resulted in a conviction since 2020. (Home Affairs Minister’s response to WQ.134/2025).
Jersey introduced a Domestic Abuse Law in 2023, which criminalised domestic abuse as a specific offence and allowed authorities to consider sexual offences within the context of coercive control.
The term describes controlling behaviours over someone’s appearance, social life or finances – and occurs when a victim is made dependent, isolated or regulated in ways that restrict their freedom and autonomy.
Kate Wright, who is the CEO of domestic abuse charity Freeda, praised Deputy Andrews for asking “difficult questions” about the justice system.
“Transparency and scrutiny are vital if we are to build lasting trust with survivors of domestic and sexual abuse,” she said.
“Deeply concerning” statistics
Ms Wright, who also chaired the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce, described the new statistics as “deeply concerning”.
The taskforce was an independent group of 29 stakeholders from government departments, agencies, and charities in Jersey, formed three years ago in response to growing concerns about women’s safety, particularly after high-profile cases like Sarah Everard’s murder in the UK.
It set out to understand the nature and prevalence of violence against women and girls in Jersey, and ultimately produced 77 recommendations to tackle the “very real” issue.
Ms Wright said: “I know that real progress is being made – following the recommendations the work of the VAWG taskforce – in improving outcomes for victims and survivors, and in laying the foundations for a justice system that is more trauma-informed and survivor-centred.
“The data shared today reflects what the taskforce’s research has already shown: the mountain we need to climb is steep, and progress will take time.
“The independent review of the criminal justice system, which was a key recommendation of the VAWG report and is currently underway, should be key in helping to accelerate this progress too.”
She added: “The extremely low charge and conviction rates for rape – and the near invisibility of male victims in the data – underscore the urgent need for change.
“We must continue investing in survivor support, in frontline training and in reforms that ensure every victim of violence and abuse feels safe, heard and believed.”
The CEO and equality campaigner added that cultural stigma, fear of not being believed, and victim-blaming discourage many survivors from reporting abuse.
“This will likely be even more so for male victims,” added Ms Wright.
“Small island context” creates additional barriers for victim-survivors
She also pointed to legal and investigative challenges, including difficulties gathering evidence, the private nature of these crimes, and the complexities of coercive control.
Ms Wright added that the relatively recent introduction of the Domestic Abuse Law meant that authorities were still adapting to applying it to sexual violence cases.
“At Freeda we see first hand how a lack of specialist training in trauma-informed approaches create barriers to victim support during the trial and a reliance on traditional, adversarial courtroom processes,” she said.
However, she noted that there have been improvements in this area in recent months.
Ms Wright added that victims often withdraw from the legal process due to fear, trauma, or a lack of sustained support.
She also pointed out that limited access to legal aid, counselling, and advocacy creates barriers to seeking justice.
“These issues are not unique to Jersey, but our small island context also contributes to additional cultural and systemic barriers for victim-survivors – such as fear of reputational damage, a perceived lack of confidentiality, and community ties that discourage speaking out,” she said.
“The VAWG Taskforce’s recommendations were designed to address all of these issues and so I am hopeful we will continue to see real progress, and this should be reflected in future statistics.”