Official Statistics

Murder, manslaughter and sexual offences in the Service Justice System: 2024

Published 3 April 2025

This annual publication provides statistics on recent and non-recent criminal conduct offences, contrary to s.42 Armed Forces Act 2006, reportedly committed by Persons Subject to Service Law and Civilians Subject to Service Discipline, where the corresponding offence under the Law of England and Wales is an offence contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (SOA 03) or a non-recent sexual offence. From 31 March 2022, this publication included statistics on criminal conduct offences alleging murder and manslaughter. From 31 March 2023, this publication includes statistics on criminal conduct offences involving domestic abuse.

A non-recent sexual offence is an offence that is alleged to have occurred prior to the implementation of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act and is reported within this reporting year. These were previously referred to as “historic”.

Cases included in these statistics were either reported to the Service Police, referred to the Director of Service Prosecutions (DSP) or resulted in Court Martial proceedings concluded between 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. Comparisons have been made to figures from 2022 and 2023. 2022 is the first year where domestic abuse has been counted.

The latest Armed Forces strength figures for each Service should be taken into consideration when making comparisons as there are more personnel in the Army compared to the Royal Navy (RN), the Royal Marines (RM) or the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Key Points and Trends for Sexual Offences

During 2024 the Service Police initiated a total of 357 investigations into sexual offences contrary to the SOA 03 and non-recent offences; 341 were into offences contrary to the SOA 03 and 16 were investigations into non-recent offences. This represents a total increase of 69 investigations contrary to the SOA 03 for 2024 compared to 2023 and an increase of four non-recent investigations from 2023.

• Of those 357 investigations, 98 were still under investigation at the end of 2024 and 259 were concluded. Of the concluded investigations 129 (50%) were referred to the DSP by the service police and 130 (50%) did not lead to a referral. This represents an increase of 40 cases that resulted in a referral of charges, an increase of 35 cases that were not referred and a decrease of four cases still under investigation compared to the 2023 figures.

• The 341 investigations into SOA 03 offences involved 350 suspects (297 male, 21 female and 32 unidentified suspects or suspects with an unknown gender) and 365 victims (67 male and 289 female and nine unknown).

During 2024, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) received 205 case referrals, regarding sexual offences, from the Service Police.

Of the 205 case referrals received, 58 were still under consideration and a decision had been made on 147 cases at the time the statistics were produced. Of those where a decision had been made, the SPA brought charges contrary to the SOA 03 and non-recent sexual offences in 69 (47 %) cases, 56 (38 %) cases were non-directed, eight (5 %) were referred to the CO and in 14 (10 %) cases an alternative offence charge was preferred. The SPA figures for 2024 contain cases which are still in the process of being investigated and therefore no decision has yet been made as to whether charges will be brought in these cases. The figures shown in Worksheet 5 do not show all the decisions made by the SPA within 2024 as some of the decisions were made in respect of cases that were referred before 2024.

Between 01 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, 91 defendants appeared before the Court Martial for sexual offences, indecent images of children offences and Domestic Abuse related offences. Of those 91 defendants, 48 (53 %) were convicted of those offences. 75 defendants faced a total of 137 charges for sexual offences and indecent images of children offences. Of these 137 charges, 79 (58 %) resulted in guilty verdicts and 58 (42 %) resulted in not guilty verdicts.

When reporting a total of 91 defendants, please note where a defendant has been arraigned on charges within multiple offence categories, the individual will be recorded more than once. Arraignment is the formal process of putting the charge(s) to the defendant in open court. During this hearing, the defendant is asked to plead guilty or not guilty to each individual charge.

Key Points and Trends for Murder and Manslaughter

From 31 March 2022 murder and manslaughter offences have been included in the annual reporting. During 2024 the Service Police initiated no investigations into murder, manslaughter or attempted murder or manslaughter

The Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) received no case referrals from the Service Police for murder and manslaughter in 2024.

No murder or manslaughter cases were heard at Court Martial in 2024.

Point of Contact: Service Police Policy

Further information: People-Sec-DCLSvcPolicePol@mod.gov.uk

Background Quality Report: Background Quality Report

Would you like to be added to our contact list?, so that we can inform you about updates to these statistics? You can subscribe to updates by emailing Analysis-Publications@mod.gov.uk

Please refer to the Supplementary tables containing all data presented in this publication.

Introduction

These statistics provide information on offences contrary to s.42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, reportedly committed by Persons Subject to Service Law or Civilians Subject to Service Discipline, where the corresponding offence under the law of England and Wales is an offence contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (SOA 03) or a non-recent sexual offence. From 31 March 2022, these statistics have also provided information on criminal conduct offences of murder and manslaughter. The Armed Forces Act 2006 (AFA 06) provides the legislation for the SJS and this is supported by the Manual of Service Law (MSL), which provides the necessary guidance to those that are required to deliver it. The SJS is primarily delivered by Commanding Officers (COs), the Service Police (the Royal Navy Police (RNP), Royal Military Police (RMP), Royal Air Force Police (RAFP), and the Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC)), the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) and the Military Court Service (MCS).

Statistics are also provided for criminal conduct offences involving Domestic Abuse. The SPA figures for offences of ‘domestic abuse’ relate to the definition contained in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. SPA domestic abuse cases have been identified, as per Crown Prosecution Service practice, with a domestic abuse flag. These figures may duplicate figures from another offence category. The same approach has been applied by MCS. The Service Police will refer a case to the SPA once the Evidential Sufficiency Test (EST) has been met (as detailed in Section 116 of the AFA 06). The main role of the SPA is to review cases referred to it by the Service Police and the Chain of Command and apply the Full Code Test contained in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, to provide advice to the Service Police on investigations, and to prosecute appropriate cases at the Court Martial and other Service courts.

Offences contrary to the SOA 03, non-recent sexual offences, murder and manslaughter cannot be heard summarily by a CO. These must be referred by the Service Police to the SPA for a decision to prosecute or not, applying the Full Code Test (is there a realistic prospect of conviction and is it in the public (including the Service) interest to prosecute).

The procedure in the Court Martial mirrors the civilian Crown Court in England and Wales and cases are heard by a Judge Advocate appointed by the Judge Advocate General and a Board (jury equivalent) of three or six, comprising of officers, warrant officers and OR7s. From 1 January 2023 the law requires at least one man and one woman member to sit on every Court Martial Board.

Judge Advocates are independent civilian judges, administered by the Ministry of Justice and selected through the Judicial Appointments Commission in the same way as all civilian judges. All Judge Advocates sit both in the Court Martial and the Crown Court. The Judge Advocate General is a Circuit Judge.

The Court Martial can impose the majority of sentences available to the Crown Court up to and including imprisonment for life, as well as a range of specific Service punishments including Service detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre. Further background about the Service Justice System and its workings can be found in the background quality report.

The AFA 06 can be found at: Armed Forces Act 2006

The MSL can be found at: Manual of Service Law

The Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009 can be found at: Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009

Service Police Investigations Into Sexual Offences

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, the Service Police initiated a total of 357 investigations into sexual offences contrary to the SOA 03 and non-recent sexual offences. 341 were into offences contrary to the SOA 03 and 16 were investigations into non-recent sexual offences. The total number has fluctuated compared to 2022 and 2023 (342 and 284 investigations respectively). Investigations that were transferred to Civilian Police Forces or Host Nation equivalents, and those reported as sexual offences but then reclassified to a non-sexual offence have not been included in these statistics. Attempted offences are included where reported as such and where they are the principal crime/ offence.

There were 19 Forensic Medical Examinations (FMEs) offered to a person reporting a rape or sexual assault by penetration. Of these, 10 had an FME conducted and in nine instances FMEs were not conducted. In six instances the victim did not support an investigation/ declined an FME, and in three cases the investigation was handed over to Civilian Police Forces. It should be noted that in many investigations, a FME is inappropriate and unlikely to provide any significant evidence, for example where reporting an investigation of a penetrative assault is delayed. Careful consideration is given following guidelines provided by the Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine and in consultation with the victim and forensic medical examiner in deciding whether such an examination is appropriate. Note a decision not to undertake a forensic medical examination does not preclude the recovery of DNA, fingerprints, fibres or marks from clothing or non-intimate examination, if there is a realistic chance that such evidence could be recovered and would be of evidential value to the investigation.

76% of reported rape (Section 1) and sexual assault by penetration (Section 2) allegations were reported outside the window for a FME. Of the 10 FME conducted, eight occurred within 48 hours of the reported offence.

This forensic time window is detailed to Police Forces by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All Victims who are within the forensic window are offered the opportunity to attend a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). Where a victim falls just outside the forensic window there can be communication between investigators and the SARC to determine whether an examination is appropriate. The forensic window for recovering body samples, particularly in relation to sexual assault cases, typically ranges from a few days up to a week depending on the type of sample and the circumstances, with the most optimal collection occurring within the first 24-48 hours.

The Defence Serious Crime Command (DSCC) (of which the Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU) is the subordinate Unit), became operational on 5 December 2022 and takes primacy investigating all serious crime in Defence. Where other Single Service Police Forces, such as the RMP, have been required to investigate, it is often owing to unique operational circumstances and reporting procedures. In these instances, consultation by DSCU is always provided and investigations will transfer to DSCU when appropriate to do so. In 2024, four investigations were conducted by the Royal Navy Police, two by the Royal Military Police, none by the Royal Air Force Police and 11 investigations were carried out by Joint Service Police Units. At Joint Service Police Units, crime management of the relevant investigation will be done through DSCU investigators. 340 investigations were conducted by the Defence Serious Crime Command.

The number of SOA 03 investigations in 2024 for Rape (55 investigations) and Sexual Assault with Penetration (10 investigations) has decreased in comparison to 2023 (60 and 11 investigations respectively). Investigations in 2024 for Sexual Assault with No Penetration (229 investigations) have increased by 49 investigations compared to 2023. Investigations into Exposure (15 investigations) have increased by nine since 2023. Investigations into voyeurism (14 investigations) have increased by nine since 2023 and non-recent investigations (16 investigations) have increased by four since 2023.

Of the total of 357 investigations (including non-recent sexual offences), 98 were still under investigation at the end of 2024 and 259 were concluded. Of the 259 concluded, 129 were referred to the SPA by the Service Police and 130 did not lead to a referral. There are instances when crimes are reported, however the Evidential Sufficiency Test has not been met and therefore no referral will be made. This can include when a victim elects not to support judicial proceedings, which can result in a decision not to refer. These decisions are not made in isolation by the Service Police, but in consultation with the SPA. Regardless of the outcome of any investigation, victims remain supported throughout.

Comparisons with 2023 show that the number of investigations with a referral has increased by 40 cases, and the number not referred has increased by 35 cases. The number of ongoing investigations has decreased by four since 2023. Some cases referred to the SPA may have involved more than one suspect and as such the sum of the referrals may not equal the number of investigations.

Of the total of 357 investigations conducted by the Service Police in 2024, 239 investigations occurred in the UK, which is an increase of 53 cases compared to 2023. 18 Investigations occurred in Germany, which is an increase of four from 2023 and 25 occurred in Cyprus, which shows an increase of nine since 2023. There were seven investigations conducted in the Falkland Islands which is an increase of three compared to 2023. There was an increase of seven investigations occurring in other countries (59 investigations) compared to 2023. 2024 investigations saw a slight decrease for the remaining locations listed in comparison to 2023 (see supplementary Excel tables that accompany this report).

Figure 1: Percentage Of 2024 SOA 03 Suspects by Known Service

This chart does not sum to 100% as 9% of suspects had an unknown service.

350 suspects were identified in investigations conducted by the Service Police in 2024. This figure does not include non-recent offences. Of these suspects, 297 were male, 21 were female and there were 32 instances where the gender was unknown. By Service, 50 suspects were from the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, 205 were from the Army, 59 were from the RAF, there were four civilians and there were 32 instances where the Service was unknown.

Figure 2: Percentage Of 2024 SOA 03 Victims by Known Service

This chart does not sum to 100% as 3% of victims had an unknown service.

365 victims were identified in investigations conducted by the Service Police in 2024. This figure does not include non-recent offences. By Service, 56 were from the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, 181 were recorded as being from the Army, 57 were from the RAF, 54 were civilians, five were from other Forces and 12 were unrecorded or unknown. Further breakdowns by age and rank, together with comparisons to the 2022 and 2023 figures, can be found for both Suspects and Victims in the supplementary Excel tables that accompany this report.

The 16 non-recent Sexual Offences that were investigated in 2024 consisted of 18 suspects, 14 of whom were male, none were female and four were unrecorded or unknown. For suspects by Service, fewer than three were recorded as being from the Royal Navy/ Royal Marines, six were recorded as from the Army, four were from the RAF, none were civilian and the number of unknown has been withheld to prevent disclosure. There were 16 identified victims, of which seven were male and nine were female. For victims by Service, fewer than three were recorded as being from the Royal Navy/ Royal Marines or RAF, ten were civilian and three were recorded as from the Army. A more detailed breakdown of these offences, with comparisons to 2022 and 2023 can be found in the supplementary Excel tables that accompany this report.

Service Prosecuting Authority - Sexual Offences

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) received 205 case referrals from the Service Police, an increase 46 cases. Of the 205 case referrals received, 58 were still under consideration at the end of 2024 and a decision had been made on 147 cases. Of the 147 cases where a decision had been made, the SPA brought charges contrary to the SOA 03 and non-recent sexual offences in 69 (47 %) cases, 56 (38 %) were non-directed, eight (5 %) were referred to the CO and in fourteen (10 %) of cases an alternative non-sexual offence was charged. Further breakdowns of these figures against those for 2022 and 2023 can be found in the supplementary Excel tables that accompany this report.

Six child sex cases (involving offences contrary to s3, ss9 - 15 of SOA 03 and s14 of SOA 1956) were referred to the SPA by the DSCC in 2024. Charges were brought in four of these cases and there was no direction in two of the cases. Within the category of child sex cases, one of the referrals was in respect of civilians and there was no direction in this case.

The SPA statistics represent the number of cases referred. A case referred to the SPA may relate to multiple suspected offences and accused. The statistics associate cases with the most serious (principal) offence that was referred. This means that in cases where, for example, it is reported that a case was charged, the principal offence on referral may not have been charged.

Figure 3: Referrals to Service Prosecuting Authority for Sexual Offences - Charging Decisions 1 January to 31 Dec 2024 :

Of the 205 cases referred to the SPA in 2024, the Defence Serious Crime Command referred 203 with sexual offence charges brought in 69 cases, 56 not charged, seven referred to the CO and 13 charged with alternative non-sexual offences. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines Police and RAF Police referred no cases. Two cases were referred by the RMP one referred to the CO, and one charged with alternative non-sexual offences.

Court Martial Results for Sexual Offences

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, 91 defendants were tried before the Court Martial for sexual offences and/or indecent images of children offences and/or domestic abuse, of whom 48 (53 %) were convicted. 75 defendants faced a total of 137 sexual offence charges (including charges relating to non-recent sexual offences and IIOC). Of these charges, 79 (58 %) resulted in guilty verdicts in respect of the charge. The total number of defendants has decreased by seven and there was a decrease of 19 charges from 2023. Further breakdowns and comparisons are presented in the Excel supplementary tables that accompany this report.

Please note where a defendant has been arraigned on charges within multiple offence categories, the individual will be recorded more than once. Arraignment is the formal process of putting the charge(s) to the defendant in open court. During this hearing, the defendant is asked to plead guilty or not guilty to each individual charge.

Of the 137 charges heard by the Court Martial in 2024, the Royal Navy/Royal Marines accounted for 30 charges, of these charges 18 resulted in guilty verdicts and 12 resulted in not guilty verdicts. The Army accounted for 66 charges, of these charges 36 resulted in guilty verdicts and 30 resulted in not guilty verdicts. The RAF accounted for 26 charges, of these charges 15 resulted in guilty verdicts and 11 resulted in not guilty verdicts.

Caution must be exercised when comparing conviction rates in the Service Justice System with those in the Civilian Criminal Justice System.  It is not possible to make meaningful comparisons for a number of reasons, including the differences in how the MOD and the CPS record and report their data. For example, the trial conviction rates for rape offences. The CPS reports outcomes in respect of all rape flagged cases. A flag is usually applied at the onset of any case referred by the police to the CPS and remains in place even if the charge is not proceeded with, is amended, or dropped. Any conviction in a rape flagged case are counted as a rape conviction. Whereas the MOD reports the trial conviction rates only for actual rape offences by defendant and by charge. If counting methods could be aligned, differences, such as the profile of cases in each system, mean conviction rates would likely differ, regardless of the effectiveness of the respective justice systems to convict offences.

Indecent Images of Children

There were ten investigations into nine suspects regarding indecent images of children (an additional one suspect whose details were unknown). Of those, 50% were cases of suspected to take, or to make or to distribute indecent photograph/pseudo image of children. Of these investigations, three resulted in no referral being made, one has been referred, and six remain under investigation. There could be more than one victim per case, no identifiable victim, or may relate to a pseudo image. In addition to ten cases, two cases were transferred to Civilian Police Forces for investigation or formed part of their enquiries. Of the investigations, nine related to suspects in the Army and one investigation had no identified suspect.

A pseudo-photograph is an image made by computer-graphics or otherwise which appears to be a photograph. This can include photographs, videos, tracings and derivatives of a photograph or data that can be converted into a photograph. These investigations may therefore have no identifiable victim(s) or victim(s).

Service Prosecuting Authority – Indecent Images of Children

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) received eight case referrals from the Service Police, a decrease of four cases compared to 2023. Of the eight case referrals received, two were still under consideration at the end of 2024 and six were concluded. Of the six concluded cases, the SPA brought charges in all six (100%) cases.

Court Martial Results for Indecent Images of Children

Of the 28 charges heard by the Court Martial in 2024, the Army accounted for 12 charges, of which seven resulted in guilty verdicts, and five not guilty verdicts. The RAF accounted for eight charges, all eight of which resulted in guilty verdicts. The Royal Navy accounted for seven charges, all seven of which resulted in guilty verdicts.

Domestic Abuse

There were 119 investigations of 119 suspects regarding domestic abuse. Of those investigations, 93 (77 %) related to suspected violent offending, and of those, 21 related to suspected common assault/ battery and 23 related to controlling and coercive behaviour. The remainder of cases include a range of suspected offences including sexual offending (20) and other offences (6). Of the total domestic abuse cases, 22 were referred, 70 were not referred (of these six were transferred to Civilian Police Forces) and 27 are still under investigation.

There were 120 reported victims, the majority of whom were female. Six victims were in the Royal Navy/Royal Marines, 24 in the Army, 11 in the RAF and 79 were civilians or unspecified. There may be more than one victim per case.

Service Prosecuting Authority – Domestic Abuse

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) received 37 case referrals from the Service Police that were flagged as Domestic Abuse Of the 37 case referrals flagged, 14 were still under consideration at the end of 2024 and in 23 cases a decision had been made. Of the 23 cases where a decision had been made, the SPA preferred charges in seven (30%) cases, 14 (61 %) were non-directed and two (9%) were referred to the CO.

Court Martial Results for Domestic Abuse

Between 01 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, 16 defendants were tried before the Court Martial for cases identified as domestic abuse. Of those defendants, eight (50 %) were convicted and eight (50 %) were acquitted.

Murder and Manslaughter Investigations by Service Police in 2024

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, the Service Police initiated no investigations into murder and manslaughter allegations.

Further Information

Disclosure control

Figures which could lead to the inadvertent identification of a victim or suspect of an offence contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 have been suppressed and summarised as “fewer than three” cases. Some figures greater than 3 have been suppressed so these figures cannot be calculated.

Revisions

Corrections to the published statistics will be made if errors are found, or if figures change because of improvements to methodology or changes to definitions. When making corrections, we will follow the Ministry of Defence Statistics, revisions and corrections policy. All corrected figures will be identified by the symbol “r”, and an explanation will be given of the reason for and size of the revision. Corrections which would have a significant impact on the utility of the statistics will be corrected as soon as possible, by reissuing the publication. Minor errors will also be corrected, but for convenience these corrections may be timed to coincide with the next release of the publication.

Contact us

Defence Statistics welcome feedback on our statistical products. If you have any comments or questions about this publication or about our statistics in general, you can contact us as follows:

Telephone: 030 679 84458

Email: Analysis-Publications@mod.gov.uk

If you require information which is not available within this or other available publications, you may wish to submit a Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the Ministry of Defence.

Other points of contact within Defence Statistics are:

Defence Expenditure Analysis	033 6793 4531	Analysis-Expenditure-PQ-FOI@mod.gov.uk
Price Indices	030 6793 2100	Analysis-Econ-PI-SeniorTeamLdr@mod.gov.uk
Naval Service Manpower	023 9254 7426	Analysis-Navy-Hd@mod.gov.uk
Army Manpower	01264 886175	Analysis-Army-Hd@mod.gov.uk
RAF Manpower	01494 496822	Analysis-Air-Hd@mod.gov.uk
Tri-Service Manpower	020 7807 8896	Analysis-Tri-Hd@mod.gov.uk
Civilian Manpower	020 7218 1359	Analysis-Surveys-Civilian-Hd@mod.gov.uk
Health Information	030 6798 4423	Analysis-Health-PQ-FOI@mod.gov.uk

If you wish to correspond by email, our postal address is:

Defence Statistics (WDS) Ministry of Defence, Main Building Floor 3 Zone M Whitehall London SW1A 2HB

For general MOD enquiries, please call: 020 721 89000