Question reference: S4W-00128
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 18 May 2011
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Current status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 2 June 2011
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been and how many cautions have been issued for the offence of arranging or facilitating provision by child of sexual services or child pornography under the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 in each police board area in each year since 2005.
Answer
There has been one person recorded on the Scottish Government court proceedings database as being prosecuted and convicted for offences under the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) 2005 section 12 where this was the main offence. This was in the Strathclyde police force area in 2008-09. Formal police cautions do not apply in Scotland.
Court proceedings data held by the Scottish Government shows only the main offence for which an offender is convicted. Where an accused is convicted of, for example, the “grooming” offence and an offence of lewd and libidinous conduct, the conviction for the grooming offence would not appear on the court proceedings data (and indeed, the prosecutor may not necessarily charge the “lesser” offence).