REPORTS of revenge porn in Dorset have more than quadrupled in the past six years.

Figures obtained from Dorset Police by a Freedom of Information request show that across 2019 and 2020, an average of at least one report was made every week.

From January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020, 235 crime reports for ‘revenge porn’ or ‘image-based sexual abuse’ were made, with 46 per cent of these coming in the past two years.

Despite a year-on-year increase, the 56 reports in 2020 were met with just three charges or postal requisitions for the offence of revenge pornography in the calendar year.

Over the past six years, a total of 21 people were charged with the offence under section 33(1) of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said more people coming forward to report the offence “suggests more people are aware of it and it is a positive thing”.

However, those who support victims of revenge porn said more needs to be done.

Zara Roddis, helpline practitioner with Revenge Porn Helpline, told the Daily Echo: "Reporting is rising most definitely for us and the police.

"At the moment the law isn't great. There is a Law Commission review taking place.

"A lot of the times when the case gets reported it leads to no further action.

"The images are out there. Even if they do lock someone up, in many cases the police are not actively doing anything about the images.

"What are the police doing about the sharing of those images once they are out in the universe?

"Even if they get devices from a perpetrator, it can take more than a year for that information to be found. I know it isn't their fault but in that time what is happening to the issue the victim is facing."

The Revenge Porn Helpline provides practical advice for victims and help with reporting content that has been shared online.

"We work quite closely with Facebook," added Ms Roddis.

"If you have had threats about images being shared, we are the global partner for a project run by Facebook that can stop images being shared on their platforms."

Revenge porn is the act of sharing intimate images or videos of someone, either on or offline, without their consent with the intention of causing distress.

In April 2015, the Criminal Justice and Courts Act made it, 'an offence for a person to disclose a private sexual photograph or film if the disclosure is made without the consent of an individual who appears in the photograph or film, and with the intention of causing that individual distress'.

The offence is punishable with a maximum sentence of 2 years' imprisonment.

Asked what Dorset Police is doing to tackle the increase in revenge porn reports, the spokesman said: “In actual numbers we have gone from 12 reports in 2015 to 56 in 2020.

“The fact more people are reporting the offence suggests more people are aware of it and it is a positive thing.

“Police officers and staff are also more aware of the offence and therefore better placed to recognise it and record appropriately.”

On why so few cases have led to prosecutions, the spokesman said the figures related to just those charged.

They added: “There are a further 17 offences that have been dealt with by an adult or youth caution or a community resolution.

“There are a number of factors that determine whether a positive outcome can be obtained for a crime, which include the matter not being in the public interest to prosecute, the victim deciding to withdraw their support for a prosecution or the CPS deciding that there are evidential difficulties with a case.

“Where there are evidential difficulties the learning from an investigation will be picked up the Force and shared with investigators.”

Dorset Police said one of the key considerations for an officer dealing with a report of revenge porn will be the welfare of the victim.

“Consideration will be given to the mental health of the victim and what support they have around them to deal with any potential fallout of the offence,” said the spokesperson.

For more information about the Revenge Porn Helpline and the support that is available, visit revengepornhelpline.org.uk.

Anyone in immediate danger should call police on 999.