Abuse from a dating match can be about more than rudeness. A person may be sent slurs or threats because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, or be targeted in the same way after a date. The law treats crimes motivated by that kind of hostility as hate crimes, and the rules differ across the UK. This guide summarises what GOV.UK, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Scottish Government and nidirect say about hate crime, and how to report it. It is general information, not legal advice.
England and Wales: what counts as hate crime
GOV.UK says that crimes committed against someone because of their disability, transgender identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation are hate crimes and should be reported to the police. It lists examples including threatening behaviour, assault, robbery, damage to property, inciting others to commit hate crimes, harassment and online abuse.
The CPS explains that the law recognises five types of hate crime, based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity. Any crime can be prosecuted as a hate crime if the offender either demonstrated hostility based on one of those characteristics or was motivated by it. The CPS says the police and CPS use an agreed definition: any criminal offence which the victim or any other person perceives to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on those characteristics, including a perceived characteristic. There is no legal definition of hostility, and the CPS uses its everyday meaning, which includes ill-will, spite, contempt, prejudice, unfriendliness, antagonism, resentment and dislike.
The CPS says the police investigate and obtain the evidence, and that the CPS decides which cases go to court, including whether there is enough evidence to prosecute a crime as a hate crime. It asks the courts to increase the sentence to reflect the fact that it was a hate crime, under provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and section 66 of the Sentencing Act 2020.
Scotland
The Scottish Government explains that the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, implemented on 1 April 2024, maintains and consolidates protections against offences aggravated by prejudice against disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity, and adds age as a new characteristic. The Act creates new offences of stirring up hatred, which involve threatening or abusive behaviour, or communication of threatening or abusive material, intended to stir up hatred against a group with a particular characteristic. The Government says the threshold is high and that the Act includes a defence that the behaviour or communication was reasonable in the circumstances.
The same factsheet notes that the Scottish Government treats the recording of non-crime hate incidents as an operational matter for Police Scotland, separate from the Act. GOV.UK points people who are victims of hate crime in Scotland to a Scottish support page.
Northern Ireland
nidirect describes hate crime as a crime against a person because of their race, religious belief, sexual orientation, political opinion, gender identity or disability, and says it has many forms, from bullying and name calling to violent attacks and even hate mail or hate email. It lists racist, homophobic, religious, sectarian, transgender and disability hate crime. It advises reporting to the police by calling 999 in an emergency, 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or through the non-emergency online form. It notes the Regional Advocacy Service for Victims of Hate Crime can support a person during the police investigation. The Hate Incident Practical Action Scheme can help with home protection where an incident has happened at or near the home, but the incident must be reported to the police to qualify.
How this applies to messages and dates
- GOV.UK counts online abuse and harassment among examples of hate crime. Abusive or threatening messages from a match may therefore be reported as a hate crime if hostility based on a protected characteristic is involved. The site’s guide to threatening or abusive messages from a match covers the underlying communications offences.
- Whether a crime is treated as a hate crime depends on hostility or motivation, and the CPS says a victim’s or any other person’s perception of that hostility is part of the police definition.
- The CPS lists organisations that can support reporting, including Stop Hate UK, Tell MAMA for anti-Muslim hate crime, the Community Security Trust for antisemitic hate crime and Galop for anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime. The site’s LGBTQ+ dating safety guide discusses support for that community.
- Evidence such as screenshots and dates helps. See the guide to documenting and reporting suspicious dating behaviour.
How to report in England and Wales
GOV.UK says to call 999 if a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger, and otherwise to call 101, contact the local police, or report online. The CPS adds that hate crime can be reported by calling 101 or by using the online form at report-it.org.uk. The site’s guide to reporting a crime linked to online dating explains victims’ rights after a report.
Frequently asked questions
Does the victim have to be sure the abuse was motivated by hostility?
No. The definition used by the police and CPS refers to an offence perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice.
Are hate crime characteristics the same across the UK?
The Scottish Government says disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity are the same characteristics across the UK, while Scotland’s Act adds age and separately lists variations in sex characteristics. Northern Ireland’s nidirect page also refers to political opinion and sectarian hate crime.
The bottom line
Abuse from a match that targets a person’s race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity can be reported to the police as a hate crime in every UK nation. The details differ: England and Wales use aggravation and sentencing uplift, Scotland has a 2021 Act adding age, and Northern Ireland describes sectarian and political-opinion hate crime. Anyone affected can report to the police and use support services.