The number of people convicted of sex crimes reached a record high last year.

A total of 1,156 people were convicted of such crimes in 2015/16, up slightly from 1,152 the previous year.

After four consecutive annual rises, the figure is now 53% higher than in 2010/11.

Statisticians attribute the longer term rise to an increase in prosecutions for child pornography offences as well as the increased confidence of victims to report rape and sexual assaults.

However the number of convictions for rape and attempted rape fell by 16% to 104, reflecting a 20% drop in the number of prosecutions for these crimes.

A total of 12,374 people were convicted of domestic abuse, compared to 8,566 in 2010-11 and a high of 12,440 in 2014-15.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said tackling domestic abuse is a "key priority" for the Scottish Government.

He added: I will shortly introduce to Parliament legislation creating a new criminal offence of domestic abuse that will include psychological abuse, which can be difficult to deal with under existing laws.

"Sexual offences are often the most complex and challenging to prosecute, partly due to challenges around evidence, so it is encouraging that as more people come forward to report these crimes, the police and the Crown are securing convictions in the courts."

Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC said the Crown Office would continue to take a "firm and rigorous prosecutorial approach" to domestic abuse.

He said: "The number of convictions shows that the approach which we take, which involves prosecutors working with colleagues across the criminal justice system, is working."

Convictions for non-sexual crimes of violence, which includes homicide, attempted murder and serious assault, rose 1% to 1,765 people.

Overall, the number of people prosecuted in Scottish courts dropped 5% to 116,800, while the total of those convicted fell 6% to 99,950, driven largely by a drop in convictions for motoring offences.

Prison terms of up to three months made up 30% of custodial sentences in 2015-16, despite a presumption against short periods of incarceration, while the average length excluding life sentences was around nine-and-a-half months.

The number of people prosecuted under the controversial Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act almost doubled from 96 to 175 in 2015-16, but at the same time the conviction rate fell from 82% to 75%.

The figures also reveal there were 4,074 recorded police warnings issued during January to March 2016 under the system brought in by Police Scotland to deal with low-level offences and replace formal adult warnings.

Opposition parties zeroed in on the conviction rates for the Football Act, which criminalised offensive and threatening behaviour, including sectarian behaviour, related to football matches and any communications containing threats or incitement to religious hatred.

It came into force in 2012 after the SNP used its majority in the last Scottish Parliament to pass the Act, but Holyrood has since narrowly backed a call for it to be repealed.

SNP MSP James Dornan said the statistics show the Act "continues to be a valuable tool in tackling sectarianism".

He said: "It is absolutely extraordinary that the opposition parties consider scrapping an anti-sectarian law to be one of the biggest issues facing the country - a law which evidence shows the vast majority of people across Scotland as a whole support.

"It is time that the opposition parties got their priorities in order, backed efforts to tackle sectarianism and other hate crimes, and focused on the other issues that really matter to people in Scotland."

In response, Labour MSP James Kelly, who has brought forward a Members' Bill aimed at axing the Act, said: "The figures show clearly that conviction rates have actually fallen in the last year, despite the increased number of proceedings on the Football Act.

"This desperate spin to protect a failed Act will fool no-one. If SNP ministers are serious about tackling sectarianism they would be investing in education, rather than cutting £327 million from local authorities which are at the forefront of tackling intolerance.

"The SNP should show some humility, back my bid to scrap the Act, and focus on tackling sectarianism in classrooms and communities."

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Douglas Ross MSP said: "This is bad legislation operating on borrowed time.

"All opposition parties agree it has to go, fans hate it and sheriffs repeatedly highlight its shortcomings in court."