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country guide · United Kingdom

How to report sexual assault in the United Kingdom

This is what we have read and stored about reporting in the United Kingdom. Read only the part you need. You do not have to decide anything today.

This is the country-wide answer for the United Kingdom. Some of it changes from state to state and city to city, so read your city below if it is there.

Checked against official sources on 28 August 2026.

the emergency number

999 in an emergency, or 101 for non-emergency police contact. The 24-hour Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, run with Rape Crisis, and Rape Crisis England & Wales (0808 802 9999) offer specialist support.

If you are in danger right now, call this number. Escrow is not an emergency service and cannot send anyone to you.

where to report

You can report to the police by calling 999 (or 101 later), or go to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) without involving the police at all; SARCs can arrange a medical exam and store forensic evidence in case you decide to report later. Rape Crisis and Victim Support can also help you decide what to do and will not make you report to the police unless you want to. In Scotland, support is coordinated through separate services listed on mygov.scot.

what to bring

You do not need any documents to report or to attend a SARC. If the assault happened recently, keep the clothes you were wearing without washing them, and try not to shower beforehand, as these may be used as evidence.

the exam window

A forensic medical exam can be carried out at a SARC; go as soon as you can, ideally within a few days, as some forensic evidence (e.g. DNA) is best recovered within about 7 days, though SARCs can still offer support and some services after that.

the deadline

There is no time limit for reporting rape or sexual assault to the police in England, Wales and Scotland; you can report at any point after the offence.

Is it too late to report? The deadline in every place we cover

support organisations

People near you who do this every day.

These are independent of Escrow. They can sit with you through a report, and they can also just talk.

sources

Every fact above came from one of these.

the honest note

This is information, not legal advice.

Requirements change, deadlines are read differently by different offices, and a station can move. Nobody here is your lawyer. For advice about your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in the United Kingdom.

Write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app if something on this page is out of date.

when you are ready

A report is yours. You can seal it, publish it as a pin, or leave it where it is. Nothing happens until you say so.

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