There are a number of sexual offences under the law of England and Wales, the law of Scotland, and the law of Northern Ireland (which function as three separate systems for this purpose).
Rape
Rape has the same statutory definition for all three jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction has its own case law on the interpretation of that legislation. The statutory definition is:
It is therefore only legally possible for a cisgender woman to be guilty of rape if they assist a male assailant in an attack on a third party. Otherwise, a female can be charged with assault by penetration or causing sexual activity without consent, both of which carry similar sentences to rape. The age of consent in all three legal jurisdictions in the United Kingdom is set at 16, a person under 16 years of age is deemed legally incapable of consenting to sexual activity by law. With regard to legal definitions, the law defines sexual activity with underage teenagers (aged 13-15) under the crime of 'sexual activity with a child' - when a child is under 13, the definition in question is automatically shifted to rape, irrespective of context.
Of women aged 16 to 59 in England & Wales interviewed for the 2006/07 British Crime Survey, 0.5% (1 in every 200) reported that they had suffered rape or attempted rape in the previous year, equating to approximately 85,000 nationally. In the same year, less than 800 persons were convicted of rape. Pdf.
In June 2026, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe published a crowd-funded report on the reputed activities of grooming gangs in England. The report suggested that 250,000 girls had been victims of organized child sexual exploitation over several decades and claimed that the offenders in many cases were predominantly British Pakistani Muslim men. The estimate has been disputed, and reviews of the report noted that incomplete national data on offenders ethnicity prevents definitive conclusion about the demographic composition of offenders across all cases. Several sources criticised the report as being inaccurate and misleading, while the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated that there was "no evidence that suggest any of the findings are true".
England and Wales In England and Wales, there are non-consensual offences of rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, and sexual activity without consent.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 1 to 4 There are a number of sexual offences against children under 13,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 5 to 8 against children under 16,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 9 to 15A and against child family members.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 25 and 26 There are a number of sexual offences of abuse of position of trust.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 16 to 19 There are a number of sexual offences against persons with a mental disorder impeding choice,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 30 to 33 and of using inducement, threat or deception against person with a mental disorder.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 34 to 37 There are a number of sexual offences that consist of conduct by care workers against persons with a mental disorder.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 38 to 41 There is an offence of paying for sexual services of a child,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 47 a number of offences relating to child prostitution or pornography,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 48 to 50 and number of offences relating to indecent photographs of children.The Protection of Children Act 1978, s 1; the Criminal Justice Act 1988, s 160 There is an offence of extreme pornography.The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, s 63 There are offences of loitering or soliciting for purposes of prostitution,The Street Offences Act 1959, s 1; the Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 51A and causing, inciting or controlling prostitution for gain.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 52 and 53 There is an offence of paying for sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 53A There are a number of offences relating to brothels and premises used for prostitution.The Sexual Offences Act 1956, ss 33 to 36 There are a number of offences of trafficking for sexual exploitation,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 57 to 59 a number of sexual preparatory offences,The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 61 to 63 and a number of offences of sex with an adult relative.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 64 and 65 There are offences of exposure, voyeurism, bestiality, necrophilia and sexual activity in a public lavatory.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 66, 67 and 69 to 71
There are notification requirements for sexual offenders.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 80 to 92 There are powers to impose notification orders, sexual harm prevention orders and sexual risk orders on sexual offenders.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, ss 97 to 103, 103A to 103K and 122A to 122K There are powers of entry and search against the homes of sexual offenders.The Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 96B
There is statutory provision for the anonymity of victims of sexual offences.The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992
Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland, there are offences of rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and sexual activity without consent.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 5 to 8 There are a number of sexual offences against children under 13,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 12 to 15 against children under 16,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 16 to 22A and against child family members.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 32 and 33 There are a number of sexual offences of abuse of position of trust.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 23 to 26 There is an offence of paying for sexual services of a child,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, art 37 a number of offences relating to child prostitution or pornography,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 38 to 40 and number of offences relating to indecent photographs of children.The Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, art 3; the Criminal Justice (Evidence, Etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988, art 15 There are a number of sexual offences against persons with a mental disorder impeding choice,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 43 to 46 and of using inducement, threat or deception against person with a mental disorder.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 47 to 50 There are a number of sexual offences that consist of conduct by care workers against persons with a mental disorder.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 51 to 54 There is an offence of extreme pornography.The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, s 63 There are offences of loitering or soliciting for purposes of prostitution, kerb-crawling and persistent soliciting,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 59 to 61 There are a number of offences of causing, inciting or controlling prostitution for gain,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 62 and 63 and there is an offence of keeping a brothel used for prostitution.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, art 64 There is an offence of paying for sexual services of a person.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, art 64A There are a number of sexual preparatory offences,The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 65 and 67 and a number of offences of sex with an adult relative.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 68 and 69 There are offences of exposure, voyeurism, bestiality, necrophilia and sexual activity in a public lavatory.The Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008, arts 70, 71 and 73 to 75
Scotland In Scotland, there are offences of rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault, sexual coercion, coercing a person into being present during a sexual activity, coercing a person into looking at a sexual image, communicating indecently, sexual exposure, voyeurism, and administering a substance for sexual purposes,The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, ss 1 to 9 and 11 and there is a sexual offence of unlawful detention.The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, s 8(3) There are offences of incest and intercourse with step-child.The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, ss 1 and 2 There is a sexual offence of procuring.The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, s 7 There are a number of sexual offences against young children,The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, ss 18 to 26 and against older children.The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, ss 28 to 37 There is a sexual offence of meeting a child,The Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005, s 1 and there are a number of offences of sexual abuse of trust.The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, ss 42 and 46 There are a number of offences relating to the sexual services of children and child pornography,The Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005, ss 9 to 12 and there are a number of offences relating to indecent photographs of children.The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, ss 52 and 52A There are a number of offences relating to the prostitution or seduction of, and premises used for intercourse by, girls under 16.The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, ss 9 and 10 There are offences of trading in prostitution and brothel-keeping, allowing children to be in brothels, and living on earnings of another from male prostitution.The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, ss 11 to 13 There are a number of offences of soliciting, importuning or loitering for the purpose of prostitution.The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, s 46; the Prostitution (Public Places) (Scotland) Act 2007, s 1 There is an offence of extreme pornography.The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, s 51A
There is statutory provision in relation to procedure and evidence on trials for sexual offences,The Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002 and pardons and disregards for sodomy offences.The Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018
See also Age-of-consent reform in the United Kingdom Crime in the United Kingdom Law of the United Kingdom Rape statistics
References Notes
Sources Rook and Ward on Sexual Offences. Third Edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 2007. Fourth Edition. 2010. Supplement. 2014. Richard Card, Alisdair A Gillespie and Michael Hirst. Sexual Offences. Jordans. 2008. Richardson and Clark: Sexual Offences: A Practitioner's Guide. Bloomsbury Professional. 2014. Google Patricia Lees and Eleanor Laws. The Sexual Offences Referencer. Second Edition. Oxford University Press. 2014. Felicity Gerry, Catarina Sjölin and Lyndon Harris. Sexual Offences Handbook: Law, Practice and Procedure. Second Edition. Wildy, Simmonds & Hill Publishing. 2014. Richard Card. Sexual Offences: The New Law. Jordans. 2004. Google Jeffrey Lamb. Sexual Offences. Tottel Publishing. 2003. Google "Sexual Offences". Archbold Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice 2014. Sweet & Maxwell. Thomson Reuters. Chapter 20. Page 2041 et seq. Hooper and Ormerod. "Sexual Offences". Blackstone's Criminal Practice 2012. Oxford University Press. 2011. Section B3. Page 292 et seq. Stone's Justices Manual. David Ormerod and Karl Laird. Smith and Hogan's Criminal Law. Fourteenth Edition. Oxford University Press. 2015. Chapter 18. Page 817 et seq. "Sexual Offences". Halsbury's Laws of England. Fifth Edition. LexisNexis. 2008. Volume 25. Volume 26. Page 174 et seq. James Chalmers. The New Law of Sexual Offences in Scotland. (Gordon's Criminal Law, supplement 1 to vol 2). W Green. 2010. Andrew M Cubie. "Sexual Offences". Scots Criminal Law. Fourth Edition. Bloomsbury Professional. 2016. Chapter 11. Page 175 et seq.