To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving personnel are on the Sex Offender Register; and what the offending behaviour of each of those personnel was.
Answered on
8 February 2022
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made it absolutely clear there is no place for unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence, and Commanding Officers must always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the Service Police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to victims. Anyone found to fall short of the Services' high standards or to have committed an offence is dealt with appropriately, which may include imprisonment and dismissal from service. Any Service personnel convicted of a sexual offence and subject to any notification requirements as set out in Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) 2003 (more widely recognised as the Sex Offenders Register) will be discharged in all but exceptional circumstances.
The Service Justice System complies with all elements of the notification requirements in accordance with the SOA 03, for all personnel that have been convicted of any schedule 3 offence within the SOA 03. However, the information requested on the numbers of people who continue to serve and the nature of their offences is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD regularly publishes Court Martial results:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-martial-results-from-the-military-court-centres, and annual statistics on sexual offending contrary to SOA 2003 and historic sexual offences dealt with wholly within the Service Justice System:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sexual-offences-in-the-service-justice-system