Most prosecutions ever for online abuse and malicious communications in Nottinghamshire

Online abuse has been in the spotlight in recent years, particularly following high-profile events such as England’s European Championship loss last year, which saw some players racially abused on social media.

In the UK, two main offences cover online abuse – section 127 offences, which relate to digital technology, and section one of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, which also covers things like letters and phone calls, but is often used for online harassment.

Crown Prosecution Service figures show there were 123 prosecutions across both offences in Nottinghamshire in 2021 – the highest number since 2005, when figures are first available – 31 for section 127 offences, and 92 for malicious communications.

Glitch, a charity working to end online abuse, called it a huge problem that has “only become more urgent in recent years”.

Prosecutions across both offences combined have surged, with 7,000 charges resulting in court hearings in 2021, up 27 per cent on the year before.

This rise has been driven by an increase in prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act – there were 4,435 in 2021, up from 3,437 in 2020.

The number of prosecutions for section 127 offences across England and Wales has fallen over the past decade. While it rose 24 per cent to 2,544 in 2021, in 2012 it was responsible for 2,957 appearances in court.

Last year, the Law Commission labelled both offences as outdated and called for them to be replaced.

In February, the Government committed to taking on the commission’s recommendations in its Online Safety Bill, which is currently being discussed.

Tony Neate, chief executive officer at Get Safe Online, which provides advice on using the internet responsibly, said, while the Bill may address some issues, tech companies also need to improve how they moderate content.

The Online Safety Bill is also set to impose penalties on social media companies that do not clamp down on abuse on their platforms.

A Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said the bill would lead to a “major improvement” in people’s online safety.

He said: “It will force social media firms to take action on the vile abuse people face on their platforms, or face heavy fines.”