ALMOST 100 sex offenders in Worcestershire - including eight rapists - have escaped with just a caution in the last five years.

The figures, obtained by the Worcester News under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal between April 2001 and March 2006, 93 people who admitted sex offences have not had to go to court, receiving a caution instead.

These include 41 who committed indecent assault, six for unlawful sexual intercourse, 17 for sexual assault, nine for sexual activity (including with a child), one for gross indecency with a child and 11 for other sexual offences.

A West Mercia spokeswoman said cautions were given for a variety of reasons, such as when it is the person's first offence or the victim does not want to go to court.

"West Mercia Constabulary is committed to bringing offenders to justice and protecting members of the public," she said.

"When an individual accepts a caution, it is important to remember that a person must admit wrongdoing in order to receive a caution and it represents an admission of guilt.

"Accepting a caution from police leads to an individual having a criminal record, even though they do not have to appear in a court of law in relation to the offence they have admitted.

"Clearly, this can be taken into account should an individual come to the attention of police on any future occasion.

"Each case must be judged on its merits and a decision about whether to charge an individual will be taken by the police and in some cases after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service.

"The force has recently strengthened its capability to deal with sex offenders and other potentially dangerous offenders through the West Mercia Police Authority's investment of an extra £2.9 million in areas including public protection.

"As a result of that investment, the force now has a network of public protection units in place across each of the force's five divisions, including south Worcestershire, committed to ensuring the effective management of sex offenders and other dangerous people, domestic violence, child protection, protecting vulnerable adults, hate crime and missing people.

"The force continues to scrutinise how we perform in this area and we are currently awaiting a full Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary thematic inspection in April."

The spokeswoman said an adult who received a caution for a sexual offence might be placed on the sex offenders' register for two years, or one year for those aged 17 or under, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

The figures reveal a further 12 people have been cautioned for indecent exposure, which under Home Office guidelines is not classed as a sexual offence.

A spokeswoman from the Worcester Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre said: "I am not surprise at the figures. There is an incredibly low conviction rate throughout the country. Just 31 per cent of offenders are charged and just six per cent are convicted.

"It reflects that sexual abuse and the impact it has on the women or men involved is not taken seriously. It is completely up to the individual if they want to take it to court because of it being quite a harrowing process.

"We support them if they want to go to court, but we leave it up to the individual to make the decision.

"We believe that there should be more defendants bought to court and more convictions. We strongly feel offenders should be punished."

Apart from sending out a strong message to the offenders that rape and sexual abuse is not acceptable, she said it also helped the victims with the healing process.

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