ONS: One in five sex attack victims 'sexually assaulted while asleep or unconscious'

One in five women sex attack victims are sexually assaulted while unconscious or asleep, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales for 2013-14 recorded the highest number of sexual offences (64,205) by police since 2002/3.

It attributes the rise to better recording and a "greater willingness" of victims to come forward to report such crimes.

The figures showed 58% of cases involved physical force to coerce sex with the victim, and one in ten victims reported being strangled or choked.

The survey not only includes recorded offences known to police but also includes measures of crime through asking people from a sample of 50,000 households.

Meanwhile, 36% believed rape or sexual assault victims had been flirting with the attacker beforehand, and 26% thought victims were "completely", "mostly", or "a bit" responsible for the attack.

There were 8.5% of women (1.4 million) and 4.5% of men (700,000) who reported having experienced any type of domestic abuse in the last year.

It also showed around two-thirds of homicide victims (65%) were male. In contrast, victims killed by a partner or ex-partner were more likely to be women.

Offenders were often perceived to be under the influence of alcohol in 53% of violent incidents. This is equivalent to an estimated 704,000 "alcohol-related" violent incidents.