BETWEEN 25% and 30% of the sexual offences reported to the States police in the past five years did not take place recently or were historic, the force has said, adding that around a quarter of those cases had gone to court.
The police shared the figure as they encouraged people to come forward to talk about their abuse, regardless of when it happened.
Often, people who survived sexual abuse as a child blamed themselves for it, the force said, adding: “It is crucial to remember that it is never the victim/survivor’s fault, and they are not responsible for the actions of others.
“The perpetrator is the one accountable for their actions.”
Non-recent or historical sexual abuse includes cases where the victim was a child or young adult as well as cases where the abuse happened a long time ago.
Detective Constable Caroline Foord, who investigates many of these cases, said the way evidence was gathered was different in historic cases, but that she and her team took each case “on its own merit” and aimed to investigate them thoroughly.
She said: “For people who have experienced abuse during their lives, some may need time – perhaps years – before deciding to make a report to the police.
“It’s important for people to know that whatever their hesitation about speaking to the police, we are here to listen and to help as far as possible, including where concerns may extend to others who may still be at risk of harm.
“Whether or not a case results in a prosecution, knowing that we are here is the first step for victims to realise that they have somewhere to go.”
The police said that in the past five years, they had recorded 218 counts of non-recent sexual abuse in Jersey.
Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey said: “If you do decide to, you can speak to the police about what happened to you. You can report abuse to the police no matter how long ago it happened. You can start by calling 612612 and briefly explaining what you’re calling about.
“They’ll make sure you’re put through to the right team who can support you or you can call one of the specialist services who can support you to report to the police.”
A number of cases involving non-recent sexual offending have gone through the courts recently:
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Last week, David Nigel Pearce was sentenced to nine and a half years’ imprisonment for two rapes and two assaults, which happened some years ago.
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In September 2024, John Larose was sentenced in the Magistrate’s Court to a one-year binding-over order, a one-year sex offender notification order, and a ten-year restraining order for abuse that happened in the early-1990s.
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And, in 2023, Paul Kelly was jailed for 20 years for committing crimes which rated “among the most egregious sexual offences to come before the Royal Court”. The victim was praised for coming forward to the police and reporting the abuse.
