Thousands of rapes and sexual assaults in UK hospitals with only 4.1% of suspects know to be charged

Thousands of rapes and sexual assaults have taken place in UK hospitals, some including assaults on children, That is the chilling claim being made in a report: ‘When we are at our most vulnerable the sickening extent of rapes and sexual assaults in hospitals’. WRN FOI Hospitals JP Report All Data 160423.

The report is the work of  Professor Jo Phoenix, Professor of Criminology and Deputy Head of the Law School, Reading University and member of the Women’s Rights Network Academic Unit.

The Women’s Rights Network began the investigation in response to concerns raised by a number of members that patients and staff were being sexually assaulted and raped in UK hospitals.

Heather Binning the founder of Women’s Rights Network said:  “We were fearful that our requests might expose hundreds of incidents. We are appalled that they reveal that more than 6,500 rapes and sexual assaults in hospitals have been reported to police between January 2019 and October 2022. This figure is shocking, but the true number is likely to be far higher as we know that crimes of this nature are notoriously under-reported. As Professor Phoenix points out in her analysis, abysmally low prosecution rates have prompted some organisations and activists to declare that rape has been virtually decriminalised in England and Wales.”

The report suggests that women and children are being failed. More than 6500 rapes and sexual assaults – some against children under 13 – have been committed in hospitals in England and Wales over nearly four years. Only 265 people (4.1 per cent) are known to have been charged for these offences. The horrifying statistics – covering the lockdown period when hospitals were said to be more secure – reveal that at least 2088 rapes and 4451 sexual assaults (total: 6539) in hospitals were recorded by police forces in the UK since January 2019.

One in 7 of the crimes  or 266 a year – occurred on hospital wards. The figures have been uncovered by researchers at Women’s Rights Network who sent Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to 43 police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Freedom of Information Requests and Responses To extract accurate data and scope the extent of this problem, the Women’s Rights Network submitted four Freedom of Information requests to all 43 police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The questions we asked were:

1. How many reports have been made to [POLICE FORCE] of sexual assaults which are alleged to have taken place at AREA hospitals since January 1st 2019?

2. How many reports have been made to [POLICE FORCE] of rape which are alleged to have taken place at AREA hospitals since January 1st 2019?

3. How many of the above points 1 and 2 were reported to have taken place on a hospital ward?

4. How many people have been charged with sexual assault/rape re. 1 and 2 above?

Eight forces failed to respond: Avon and Somerset, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Thames Valley, West Mercia, Wiltshire, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Of the 35 forces that responded, five forces failed to provide information about the number of assaults that had taken place on hospital wards, and three did not provide information on the number of people charged or summonsed.

Of the 35 forces to respond, shocking crimes were uncovered including:

•The rape of a female child under 13 and also the rape of a female over 16 by multiple offenders in West Midlands hospitals

•Three rapes of a female under 16 in Cambridgeshire

•Six rapes of girls under 13 in Lancashire

Although the FoI responses do not record the sex of the victims, national data shows that fewer than five per cent of rape victims are men so it is reasonable to assume that most victims were female.

But the WRN investigation also uncovered:

•Thirteen rapes of males over the age of 16 — with one incident involving multiple offenders.

•The sexual assault of a male child under the age of 13 in a Cambridgeshire hospital

Despite the fact that hospitals are closely monitored by CCTV and wards often have secure entry systems, only 4.1 per cent are known to have resulted in a charge or summons.

The Women’s Rights Network said: “These statistics are jaw-dropping. We began this investigation because a number of members raised concerns about the safety of women and children on NHS wards, but we are horrified at what we have uncovered. The volume of sexual assaults and rapes is even more horrific when you consider that this data covers the pandemic, when much of the country was in lockdown and hospitals were supposedly even more vigilant. Hospitals are places where everyone – patients, staff and visitors – should feel completely safe. But rapes and violent assaults are taking place every week in hospitals. To add to the horror, those men committing the crimes are getting away with it. A charge rate of 4.1 percent is appalling – the hospitals and police are failing women and children yet again.

Heather Binning, founder of WRN Jo Phoenix, Professor of Criminology and Deputy Head of the Law School at Reading University and a member of the Women’s Rights Network Academic Unit is author of the WRN’s report: ‘When We Are At Our Most Vulnerable’.

The Women’s Rights Network is calling on NHS authorities, the Care Quality Commission and police constabularies to formally acknowledge this hidden domain of sexual violence as follows:

We urge:

•The Home Office to require police constabularies to record the full data about sexual violence in hospitals, including location, sex of victim and alleged perpetrator.

•NHS authorities to signpost procedures which encourage staff to report safeguarding concerns and to take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously.

•Apply single sex exemptions for hospital wards to ensure that women and girls in particular are adequately protected.

•Protect staff from sexual assault while at work and to record appropriate data so that there is a better understanding of these crimes.

•Review existing safety measures and assess the need to install additional CCTV and/or door-entry systems

In the last few days The Times Newspaper reported that Judges have been ‘ordered not to jail burglars and rapists due to crowded prisons’, The Times reports that the senior presiding judge in England and Wales has ordered sentencing of convicted criminals currently on bail be delayed from Monday.

We asked Hywel Dda University Health Board if they  have any concerns regarding issues around men who identify as women being placed on wards at Hywel Dda hospitals?

Are you considering ways in which to safeguard women for example ‘single sex wards’ where men even if they identify as women would not be admitted as patients?

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said:

“NHS Wales takes the protection of service users, patients and staff from any form of sexual misconduct, assault, harassment and abuse in any setting, very seriously.

“Health boards, trusts and other NHS Wales organisations are committed to working together to make improvements in workplace safety and culture, implement best practice, and cultivate an inclusive environment for everyone, where people are confident to challenge poor behaviour and speak out. This includes working closely with external partners, including specialist organisations supporting people who have experienced sexual abuse.

“We want everyone to feel safe in NHS settings in Wales and we urge anybody who has experienced unwanted sexual behaviours and sexual harm to talk to NHS patient experience teams, NHS People/Workforce teams, to contact their local police force, or to access advice and support from the Live Fear Free Helpline or their local Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

“Staff who may have concerns around attitudes and behaviours in the NHS are encouraged to raise concerns with their manager or anonymously through the feedback and support processes in place in their organisation.”