The re-offending rates for men who sexually abuse children are not known, but we do have information on re-conviction rates for this group of offenders.
The most recent figures we have are for 2004.
Out of the adult offenders who were convicted of a sexual offence against a child, and were released from custody or who started a community penalty in the first quarter of 2004, 12.3 per cent. were reconvicted of a new offence of any kind.
These rates of re-conviction were over a period of two years.
For all adult male offenders convicted of a sexual offence (that is including those who offended against a child and those who offended against adults) and who were released from custody in 2001, 3 per cent. were reconvicted for a further sexual offence within two years.