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Mr. Campbell-Savours
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the number of convictions for sexual and other violent offences by adults against persons under the age of 15 years in each year since 1979.
Mr. Mellor
The available information is brought together in the following table. For other types of offences
| Offenders aged 17 and over found guilty at all courts in England and Wales of certain violence against the person or sexual offences where the victim is known to be or could be aged 16 or under | ||||||
| Number of persons | ||||||
| Offence | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
| Indictable offences | ||||||
| Murder of infants under 1 year of age | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Infanticide | 7 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Cruelty to or neglect of children | 138 | 147 | 101 | 101 | 87 | 102 |
| Abandoning child under 2 years* | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Child stealing* | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 10 |
| Buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal | 119 | 140 | 143 | 123 | 142 | 113 |
| Attempt to commit buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal | 17 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 21 |
| Indecent assault on a male person under 16 years | 485 | 498 | 458 | 460 | 482 | 460 |
| Indecent assault on a female person under 16 years of age | 1,347 | 1,345 | 1,146 | 1,167 | 1,086 | 1,068 |
| Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13* | 77 | 94 | 69 | 59 | 92 | 72 |
| Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16* | 620 | 525 | 454 | 388 | 393 | 393 |
| Incest with a girl under 13 | 49 | 50 | 32 | 44 | 38 | 48 |
| Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | — |
| Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution, etc. | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Abduction of unmarried girl under 16 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Gross indecency with children* | 239 | 238 | 209 | 205 | 205 | 226 |
| Summary offence | ||||||
| Cruelty to or neglect of children* | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 |