Sex offences by adults in position of trust up 82%, says NSPCC

Campaigners urge current legislation doesn't go far enough to protect children, as law is currently limited to regulated settings such as schools, hospitals and care homes

The number of offences where professionals such as teachers, care staff and youth justice workers targeted 16- and 17-year-olds in their care for sex rose to 290 in the year to June – up from 159 three years ago (Getty)

Sex crimes committed by adults in positions of trust have increased by more than 80 per cent since 2014, official figures show.

The number of offences where professionals such as teachers, care staff and youth justice workers targeted 16- and 17-year-olds in their care for sex rose to 290 in the year to June – up from 159 three years ago.

Nearly 1,000 crimes were recorded over the period, with the figure steadily rising year on year.

One child victim is Lee, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, who was befriended by a youth leader at his church group when he was 15. The adult began texting Lee and asking to spend time together outside of the group.

“He started by sitting closer to me on the sofa, trailing his finger on to mine. Things which I thought were weird but not big enough to react to,” Lee said.

Things escalated to kissing and sexual contact when Lee turned 16, he said, adding: “I was so confused but knew what he was doing was wrong. I wanted it to stop but part of me was afraid to speak out because I didn’t want to get him in trouble.”

Campaigners are now warning that current legislation doesn’t go far enough to protect children, as the law is currently limited to certain regulated settings and positions, such as schools, care settings, hospitals and criminal justice.

The legal loophole means some adults who work with children, such as sports coaches, religious leaders or adults working in the arts and other activities, are not considered to be in positions of trust – meaning sexual activity between them and a 16- or 17-year-old child is not illegal.

The Government has recently made progress on this issue by extending the legislation to cover sports coaches, following historic allegations of sexual abuse in football that emerged a year ago, but the NSPCC is urging the Government to go further and extend the law to cover all adults working regularly with children.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said it was “hard to believe” that the law protects 16- and 17-year-old children from being abused in the classroom, but not on the sports pitch or on the stage.

“We know that some adult youth workers spend years grooming young people and then, as soon as their 16th birthday comes around, they target them for sex,” he said.

“Extending position of trust laws to sports coaches is an important step in the right direction which will help protect more children from this kind of abuse. But to stop there would be a missed opportunity.

“Government must close this loophole to protect children from other adults who use their authority to exploit them.”

The NSPCC’s #TrustToLead campaign is urging the Government to go further and extend the law to cover all adults working regularly with children, including religious leaders, adults working in the arts, outdoor pursuits and other activities.

The Home Office has been approached for comment.