Data uncovered by Refuge shows recorded intimate image abuse rose by 26.9% between July 2021 and June 2025, increasing from 4,058 offences to 5,151 – meaning nearly 15 revenge porn offences were reported each day last year alone
Victims of intimate image abuse claim they are being denied justice as the number of cases soars – while offenders evade punishment.
Data has revealed that recorded instances of the abuse rose by 26.9% between July 2021 and June 2025, increasing from 4,058 offences to 5,151.
This means nearly 15 offences were reported each day last year alone. But statistics – uncovered by the charity Refuge using Freedom of Information legislation – reveal the proportion of cases resulting in a charge or summons fell from 5.8% in 2021/22 to 4.5% in 2024/25.
Despite police knowing the suspect’s identity, only 4.8% (1,047) of the 21,905 offences reported over the five-year period ended in a charge or summons.
And 56% (12,265) of cases resulted in no charges at all. Furthermore, 25% (5,417) of all offences did not progress due to evidential issues.
Today, on the five-year anniversary of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Refuge ambassador and former Love Island contestant Sharon Gaffka, 30, said: “As a survivor of intimate image abuse myself, I know firsthand the devastating impact this has on women and girls.
“While it is facilitated in online spaces, its impact is profoundly real, putting survivors’ safety and wellbeing at serious risk. It is deeply concerning that, despite rising reports, perpetrators are not being held accountable by the justice system. Refuge’s data must be a wake-up call for police forces to strengthen their responses to this horrific crime. Survivors deserve better.”
Emma Pickering, of Refuge, said: “Five years on from the Domestic Abuse Act, survivors of intimate image abuse are failed far too often.”
High-profile cases propelled the crime into the headlines. In 2020, reality TV star Georgia Harrison, 31, fell victim to her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bear. Bear, 36, was sentenced to 21 months for uploading a sex tape with Georgia to OnlyFans without her permission.
He was released from jail in January 2024, 10 months into his sentence. At a confiscation hearing he was ordered to pay £22,305 – the profits he made from posting the tape.
Georgia successfully lobbied to remove the requirement to intent to cause distress, meaning non-consensual sharing of intimate images is now a crime regardless of motive.
Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment at Refuge, said: “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, and without a serious improvement in police response, survivors will continue to miss out on justice while perpetrators evade accountability.
“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.”
The Domestic Abuse Act was signed into law on April 29, 2021, after Refuge won its campaign – The Naked Threat – which called on the government to make threats to share intimate images a crime.
A government spokesperson said: “We are taking immediate action to tackle this growing issue. Soon tech companies will be legally required to remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours of being flagged and we have also established the Policing AI Threat Hub to tackle the criminal misuse of AI.”