Grim toll of Midlands child sex abuse

More than 2,000 Midland children, some aged just one, fell victim to sexual offences last year, "shocking" figures revealed today.

The NSPCC said there were 20,758 alleged sex crimes against under-18s reported in England and Wales.

Figures released to the charity by West Midlands Police showed there were 572 victims, including 472 aged 10 and under. There were 38 victims aged three, 15 aged two and seven aged one. Staffordshire Police said it knew of 458 victims, with 60 aged 10 or under. There were five aged three and three aged two.

West Mercia Police, which covers Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire, said there were 488 victims, with 79 aged 10 or under, in its area.

The NSPCC obtained the statistics by making Freedom of Information requests to England and Wales's 43 police forces. All but Greater Manchester Police responded.

The Home Office's annual crime report shows there were a total of 53,540 recorded sexual offences of all kinds in 2007-08.

But the NSPCC says official statistics do not provide a clear picture of how many involved children.

It is now calling on the Government to collect and publish annual police data showing the number and ages of victims.

The charity also wants these figures to be linked clearly to the number of convictions and other penalties that result.

The NSPCC's Phillip Noyes said: "These shocking figures reveal just how young many of the reported victims of sex abuse are, with even one-year-olds being at risk, although the highest numbers of offences were against children in their early teens.

"It's a grim picture, but this is only a snapshot as our research indicates there are many more abused children whose suffering never comes to light.

"Very young children who are sexually abused cannot speak out."