Less than 5% of intimate image abuse cases result in a perpetrator being charged, despite a significant increase in reported incidents over the past five years, according to new data. Reports have surged by 26.9% between July 2021 and February 2026, yet charging rates remain 'shockingly low,' as highlighted by the charity Refuge.
Stark Disparity Between Reports and Charges
Out of 21,905 recorded offences during the period, no charges were filed in more than half of the cases. Approximately a quarter of cases collapsed due to other evidential reasons, even when a perpetrator was identified and the victim supported the investigation. Refuge is releasing these findings on the fifth anniversary of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which introduced the offence of threatening to share intimate images following a successful campaign by the charity.
Refuge's Call for Change
Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment at Refuge, stated: 'Five years on from the Domestic Abuse Act, survivors of intimate image abuse are being failed far too often. These troubling police figures lay bare the stark disparity between the sheer number of reports compared to the shockingly low charge rates. Without a serious improvement in police response, survivors will continue to miss out on justice while perpetrators evade accountability.'
Victim's Harrowing Experience
Refuge ambassador Sharon Gaffka, a former Love Island star, has been a long-term target of image abuse. She described discovering men sharing 'semen images' of her on social media—a particularly vile form of abuse involving images with semen depicted on top of a non-intimate photo. 'The images weren't predominantly holiday pictures or lingerie shots. They were actually stills or videos of me talking about domestic abuse, talking about gender-based violence, and being fully clothed,' she said. Although she managed to shut down the chat sharing the images, she told Metro: 'I don't believe that those men will ever be prosecuted for what they did to me, and to those images, and how I feel about myself as a result.'
Rising Offences and Falling Charges
Refuge sent Freedom of Information requests to all 43 police forces in England and Wales, with 25 responding. The number of intimate image abuse offences rose by 26.9%—from 4,058 to 5,151—in the three years to the end of 2025. During the same period, the proportion of cases resulting in a charge or summons fell from 5.8% in 2021/22 to 4.5% in 2024/25. Of the total 21,905 offences recorded between July 2021 and February 2026, only 4.8% (1,047) of suspects were charged or summoned. No charges were filed in 56% (12,265) of cases despite a perpetrator being identified. Since the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act, Refuge's specialist team has not supported any survivors whose perpetrator was convicted.
Urgent Need for Training and Accountability
In response, Refuge is urging significant improvements in police practice, including consistent training for officers and criminal justice agencies. While the government's violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy includes plans for improved training, the charity insists it must be mandatory. Ms Pickering said: 'Mandatory police training is vital if women and girls are to feel confident that when they report intimate image abuse, they will be met with a response on par with the seriousness of the crime. Tech companies must also be held responsible for the harm allowed to persist on their platforms at the expense of women's safety.'
Government Action on Tech Giants
Refuge is also calling on the government to implement legislative reforms to hold tech companies accountable. Earlier this month, the government tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would see tech bosses facing jail if their companies fail to comply with Ofcom's enforcement decisions to remove non-consensual intimate images. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: 'Too many women have had their lives shattered by having their intimate images shared online without consent. This Government is uncompromising in our mission to protect women and girls online, and we have taken action to stop tech firms from publishing this abusive content. In February, we told platforms that they must remove reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours. Now we are going further by introducing measures meaning that senior tech executives could be criminally liable if their companies fail to act when required to do so by Ofcom. Protecting women and girls online is not optional, it is a responsibility that sits squarely with every tech company's leadership.'
