IT is a rite of passage for thousands of teenagers after getting their GCSE results – going to their first music festival.
And Reading and Leeds is the first major event following results day today making it the festival of choice for most, with this year’s headliners including Liam Gallagher, Blink 182 and Fred Again.
But it will mean a sleepless weekend for parents as well as raving teenagers after the festival has been blighted by robberies, sexual assaults, tent arson and drug deaths in recent years.
In 2022 teenager Daniel Celino from Worsley, Manchester, tragically died after taking MDMA at Leeds Festival.
The 16-year-old’s father, Gianpiero Celino, told an inquest in Wakefield he feared the event was not safe for under-18s.
Coroner Kevin McLoughlin said he hoped “all young people attending the festival heed the lessons drawn from this painful tragedy”.
At last year’s festival – the first after Daniel’s tragic death – West Yorkshire Police said almost double the number of people had been arrested for drug offences than the previous year.
A total of 56 people were questioned on suspicion of drugs supply offences and several dealers were handed lengthy prison sentences.
And now shock new figures reveal that just FOUR out of more than 100 reported sexual offences at Reading and Leeds since 2018 have so far resulted in prosecutions.
The figures include 16 reported rapes of women at Leeds festival between 2018 and 2023, none of which have so far led to a prosecution.
Local police forces say that recent offences may still be working their way through the criminal justice system, but the stark statistics have sparked claims that not enough is being done to protect women and teenage girls at the festivals, which begin today.
The figures were supplied in response to freedom of information requests from Amy Sharrocks, an artist and activist who has been pursuing the issue for months.
Thames Valley police provided figures for Reading festival covering 2021 to 2023.
Those three years saw 52 reports of sexual assaults, of which just three have so far led to prosecutions – one each year – though the police force said a number of the 22 offences reported in 2023 are still under investigation.
West Yorkshire police provided figures showing 50 reported sexual offences covering the five festivals held between 2018 and 2023, with no festival taking place in 2020.
Only one of these has so far led to a prosecution and conviction – for sexual assault on a female in 2018.
Speaking to The Sun, Amy Sharrocks says “one rape is one too many”, and is worried that if prosecution and conviction rates remain low it could discourage victims from reporting their experiences.
She explains: “I think there is an understanding amongst families and young kids that these kinds of festivals are rites of passage and what I have been realising as I have been asking more questions is in fact they are in some way laying the foundations for women and young girls that they are going to be harmed and they are not going to get justice.
“A number of people, mostly women, have said to me, when I have brought forward these statistics, ‘Oh I thought it would be worse’ or ‘That’s about the national average’.
“There has been so often a worry about reporting, a worry about bringing these things up, the stigma, still the amount of shame. I think it is appalling that the prosecution and conviction rates have not changed in six years.
“I think this trickles down to the councils and festivals involved, and the women and girls, men and boys involved that this is just the norm. I think the festivals have a particular duty of care.
“I think we need to encourage women and girls to be horrified and demand change and that is what I am hoping will come from this, from highlighting this information.”
Following months of requests from Sharrocks Festival Republic, which runs Reading and Leeds, provided its own figures showing arrests rather than prosecutions – 42 reported sexual assaults at Leeds from 2018 to 2023 resulting in one arrest, and 68 reported sexual assaults at Reading over the same period resulting in 14 arrests.
I think we need to encourage women and girls to be horrified and demand change and that is what I am hoping will come from this, from highlighting this information
Amy Sharrock
Festival Republic has increased onsite support for those targeted by sexual offenders, such as a police patrol focused on violence against women and girls and a tent run by the organisation Safe Gigs for Women.
They have also upped staff training, urged staff to call out and report worrying behaviour and encourage festival-goers to do the same with strong messaging about consent being circulated across the festival sites.
And while Amy has welcomed this, she is calling for better collaboration between festival bosses, local councils and police to try to keep festival-goers safe and bring any perpetrators to justice quickly.
“I would like to see messaging that does not rely on people who have been abused to do all the work”, she says. “I am all in favour of messaging for staff, security needs to be looked at.”
“I am in awe of all the people who have spoken out about their horrifying experiences. When you speak out you share your courage with others, which can help them to speak out later.
“I am in awe of people who have put their lives back together after attacks. And it should not have to be this way. The systems should be changed before anyone is put in this position.”
Drugs and sexual assault aren’t the only issue to have plagued the event.
In 2022, festival-goers at both sites were subject to ugly scenes of tent-burning, looting and fighting – likened by many to the infamous Woodstock ’99 festival where thugs torched bands had to flee marauding mobs.
Teenagers posted videos online of chairs and objects being thrown into flames, and many started a mass exodus from the sites on Sunday evening, fearing for their safety.
The festival has since banned disposable barbecues and campfires from both sites.
Once the festival weekend is over, staff and volunteers are often left with a huge clean up operation as festival-goers leave tents, litter and debris on a huge scale.
Last year Jack Lowe drove to Leeds to help a north-east based charity dismantle tents for future use by refugees in France.
Uploading a video of the site’s aftermath to social media, he said: “This is just a fraction of it – littering on the grandest scale we’ve ever witnessed.
“It’s hard to convey the sheer scale of this. Thousands and thousands of tents. Even after being there for a few hours, we were still aghast as we drove away.”
But Jack said many of the abandoned tents had also been slashed, meaning they were only fit for the bin.
Drone footage showed similar carnage at Reading’s Little John’s Farm site with thousands of discarded tents and sleeping bags.
This was despite appeals by festival organisers to take their camping equipment home with them or to drop any broken tents or chairs to the on-site recycling points.
Festival Republic’s Managing Director Melvin Benn had previously said that the organisers factor in people leaving their tents into their clean up.
He said: “We work really hard on making sure that people recycle and take their belongings home with them.
“Most people do, some people don’t. Some people are untidy and we have to tidy up after them.”
Superintendent Dan Wood, who leads the policing operation for Leeds Festival, has said that significant sentences handed down to drug dealers convicted after last years festival should stand as a warning that drug offences would not be tolerated.
He also says that safeguarding people against sexual assault was also a key priority.
He said: “West Yorkshire Police remains fully committed to tackling and reducing violence against women and girls, and we continue to work closely alongside our partner agencies to achieve that aim.
“Leeds Festival is a privately-run event that has its own professional security and welfare operation to ensure the safety of those attending the event, which attracts around 100,000 people each year.
“We have a dedicated policing operation, involving a range of specialisms, that works alongside the event’s organisers Festival Republic to support public safety and to prevent and detect crime.
“A key priority is around working in partnership to safeguard people from violent and sexual offending, particularly women and girls.
“We have a safeguarding lead and specialist investigators assigned to the operation to ensure we can respond swiftly and comprehensively to any reports of sexual offences, supporting victims, identifying and arresting suspects and capturing all available evidence.
“We have very well-established links with Festival Republic’s on-site security and encourage anyone who is a victim of crime to report it as soon as possible so we can respond accordingly.”
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said they continue to take tackling and reducing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) seriously and are working closely with partners to achieve that aim at Reading Festival.
The statement continued: “Nationally, prosecution rates for sexual offences are generally low and there is a significant amount of work underway to improve this, such as the introduction of the National Operating Model which we are adopting in Thames Valley Police.
“As a force, for the 2023/24 period, sexual offence charges increased by 14% and as of April 2024, we were 10th nationally for such outcomes.
“Rape charge numbers increased by 17% in the same period.
“There are unique challenges with policing a large festival and sexual offences are often complex and take a long time to investigate and as such, some of the offences listed as not reaching a prosecution are because they are still under investigation with enquiries being progressed.
“A significant comprehensive policing plan is in place surrounding Reading Festival, within which we have a safeguarding lead, investigative team and crime scene investigators to support crimes at the festival.
“As people are transient at the event, we ensure we can gather forensic evidences from tents or a location quickly.
“We also have a strong prevention and investigation plan, specifically for violence against women and girls, in place for the festival.
“We are always looking to see where else we can improve on this, working with partners, including Festival Republic, to prevent offences and make the festival a safe, enjoyable experience for everyone.”
An additional statement from the festival producers read: “Festival Republic works with all stakeholders throughout extensive planning stages, and works closely with the Authorities , Police, Health services, Fire services, medical and security teams to mitigate any anti-social behaviour.
“Additionally, we provide extensive on-site medical and support services to help ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for attendees, in compliance with the event licensing conditions.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “Leeds City Council works alongside West Yorkshire Police to tackle antisocial behaviour and violence against women and girls, neither of which are acceptable, and both are key aims and priorities for our Safer Leeds partnership.”
On the festival’s website they have a strong anti-drug policy but also offer advice to anyone who does take drugs during the weekend.
They also said they will be working closely with police to arrest dealers.
It states: “This festival does not condone the use of drugs. It is illegal to buy, sell, or take drugs. Drugs enforcement laws are as applicable onsite as anywhere else in the UK.
“We want out festival-goers to know above all else that we are here to help and you can come to us for help without fear of getting in trouble.
“We don’t recommend you take drugs, but if you do please bear the following in mind:
