Number of people in North Yorkshire calling child sex abuse helpline soars by 130 per cent in a year

More than 1,000 people in Yorkshire called a helpline set up to stop sex offenders viewing illegal online material last year – a rise of 131 per cent from the previous year.
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The Stop It Now! helpline was created for people concerned about their sexual thoughts, behaviours and websites they are visiting, or to report concerns about someone they know.

The charity has disclosed the number of calls received from North Yorkshire.

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North Yorkshire saw 1,125 people get in touch with the helpline, which is one in every 538 residents and an increase of 131 per cent from the year before.

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Across the county, more than 6,500 people in Yorkshire called the helpline – a rise of nearly 150 per cent from the previous year which is far above the national average, as Stop It Now! has reported the number of calls made across the UK overall was up by 119 per cent last year.

More worryingly, the helpline claims a "significant proportion" of these were teenagers.

Donald Findlater, the Director of Stop It Now! said: "Tens of thousands of men in the UK are viewing and sharing sexual images of under 18s - these men are our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.

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"Most are adults, but a significant proportion are teenagers. Many of these men started viewing this illegal material as part of their adult pornography habit, somehow not noticing or perhaps caring that these were images of children being abused.

"Some don't know the law and need it spelling out. A few are struggling with a long-standing sexual interest in children and think that looking at 'only pictures' is a way of containing that interest."

Mr Findlater added: "Whoever they are, they need to know this behaviour is illegal, that children are harmed by it and that serious consequences await those who are involved in it."

In the 12 months leading up to March 2019, police in England and Wales recorded 73,260 sexual offences against children, according to the Office of National Statistics.

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The National Crime Agency meanwhile estimated in 2018 that 80,000 people in the UK posed a sexual threat to children online.

David, who did not want to give his full name, is one of the thousands of people who have called the helpline concerned they were having sexual thoughts about children.

He said he called after he was arrested when somebody he met through an adult chat website sent him indecent images of children.

He said: “I’ve lost friends and my life has changed in so many ways. My electronics are monitored and I’m limited in what jobs I can do. But I’m relatively lucky that my family stuck by me and I’ve had support that means I won’t offend in future.

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"I’d urge anyone worried about what they’re doing to get help before it’s too late.”

The main concern for authorities in the prevalence of illegal pornography online is that those viewing it fuel the abuse that occurs to create the images.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, head of child protection at the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Accessing these images is not a victimless crime and viewing them creates more demand for these appalling offences.

"We are arresting more offenders than ever before – at least 500 people a month – and our tools for investigating and tracking down those responsible are the best they have ever been.

“Anyone who is having inappropriate thoughts about children should seek help from Stop It Now!, otherwise they should expect a visit from police officers.”