The number of rapes/sexual assaults recorded in Kerry have more than doubled in two decades.
Figures obtained under Freedom of Information by Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú show as of the end of May, there were 800 sexual offenders in Irish Prisons, costing the state almost €80 million annually to house.
According to the CSO there were 94 rapes/sexual assaults recorded in Kerry last year, this is a rise of 104% when compared to 2003, when 46 were recorded.
MEP Ní Mhurchú says the number of sexual offenders jailed in the country rose by 16% between 2023 and 2024.
The Fianna Fáil MEP has labelled the findings a crisis and has called on the Justice Minister to implement a suite of measures to tackle dramatic rises in violence against women.
