JUST a tenth of an “unprecedented” number of rapes reported last year have resulted in a criminal charge, according to data released yesterday.

Some 19,316 serious sexual assaults against adults were reported in 2014-15, with only 12 per cent of suspects facing trial.

For 9,949 child victims, the rate of police and court action almost doubles, to 23 per cent.

In Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Suffolk, police launched criminal proceedings in just six or seven per cent of adult rape cases.

In Bedfordshire, Wiltshire and Surrey, the forces charged only 9 to 12 per cent of suspects in child rape cases.

“The figures mirror the unprecedented level of demand we are currently experiencing for our specialist rape crisis services,” said Katie Russell, spokeswoman for Rape Crisis England & Wales.

“It’s positive that more sexual violence survivors are coming forward to seek support and justice.

“Sexual offences are, historically and still, hugely underreported in comparison to other crimes and survivors often live with their experiences for years before disclosing what’s happened to them,” she said.

The Tory government and local commissioners need to “urgently prioritise” funds to keep rape crisis services going, as only half are funded beyond March, Ms Russell said.

Acting director of the End Violence Against Women coalition Sarah Green said: “The volume of reported child rapes tells us something very serious about the predatory nature of the men who commit rape and our society’s failure to protect girls and sometimes boys.”

The data was released by the Rape Monitoring Group using figures from 40 police forces in England and Wales published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Group chair Wendy Williams said the “data provides a platform for further discussion.”