A newspaper columnist has been condemned after incorrectly claiming asylum seekers in Dorset are responsible for 44 per cent of sexual offences in the county.
Annunziata Rees-Mogg, who was previously a member of the European Parliament, reposted the false statistics to her 73,000 X followers on Thursday, May 14.
Police and crime commissioner for Dorset, David Sidwick, pushed back against the “misinformation”, pointing out that migrants only account for 1 per cent of sex crimes in the region.
Rees-Mogg posted: “Asylum seekers make up 0.08 per cent of Dorset’s population.
“And 44 per cent of alleged sex offences.
“So unbelievable I had to check.
“It’s true.”
Rees-Mogg’s false claims received widespread condemnation and she subsequently deleted her post.
A Freedom of Information request to Dorset Police in July last year revealed that one person residing at a “asylum hotel” in Dorset had been convicted of a sexual offence.
PCC Sidwick also hit back at the false information circulating online, blaming “AI-generated content” for perpetuating incorrect narratives.
He said: “There is misinformation circulating online, amplified by AI-generated content, falsely claiming that migrants in Dorset are responsible for 44 per cent of sexual offences.
“This information is categorically incorrect, and the statistics quoted are not from Dorset Police.
“Between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026 there were eight sexual offence reports where the alleged offender was reported to be from asylum...
A newspaper columnist has been condemned after incorrectly claiming asylum seekers in Dorset are responsible for 44 per cent of sexual offences in the county. Annunziata Rees-Mogg, who was previou...