sexual abuse

Question 1

what is section 2

Answer 1

assault by penetration

Question 2

what is section 3

Answer 2

assault of a child under 13 by penetration

Question 3

what is section 5

Answer 3

sexual assault

Question 4

what is section 7

Answer 4

sexual assault of a child under 13

Question 5

S3(1) SOA 2003 - a person commits an offence if

Answer 5

• He intentionally touches another person
• The touching is sexual
• V does not consent to the touching
• D does not reasonably believe that B consents

Question 6

punishment

Answer 6

• Committing an offence under S3 is a triable either way offence
• The maximum punishment is 10 years imprisonment
• A punishment of up to ten years is a significant amount, the seriousness of assaults should not be disregarded
• The amount of trauma, degradation and fear they can cause in a victim mean that this punishment is weighted towards the care of the victim

Question 7

what does S3(1) mean by touch

Answer 7

touching:

• With any part of the body
• With anything else
• Through anything

Question 8

touching or battery?

Answer 8

• There is a requirement that the touching is in some way sexual, as there is a big gap between a battery and assault
• Sexual assault covers a wide range of touching that replaces the more exclusionary offence of indecent touching

Question 9

with/without consent

Answer 9

• Straightforward but the touching must be without the consent of the V
• Where touching can be consented to within the realms of battery (busy areas etc) it is inconceivable that someone would impliedly consent to being sexually touched

Question 10

hostility

Answer 10

• There is no hostile intent or force required with this touching – merely touching someone sexually when they do not consent to it is sufficient

Question 11

consent and SA

Answer 11

• As well as intentionally touching the complainant, the D must also not be able to reasonably believe that the complainant has consented to the sexual touching
• Reasonableness is assessed considering all circumstances and any steps the D took to assess consent

Question 12

reasonableness

Answer 12

• This is an objective test, which asks juries or magistrates to ask whether the belief was reasonable, regardless of honesty
• This removes previous law, which seemingly allowed for mistakes of understanding

Question 13

R v Bounekhla 2006

Answer 13

• The victim does not need to be aware that they are being touched for there to be a sexual assault, nor does the V’s body need to be touched – it is sufficient for clothing to be touched

Question 14

underage sexual activity

Answer 14

• Within the UK, the age of consent to any sexual activity is 16 years old
• In Holland, it is 12 years old – although different if there is a considerable age gap between parties
• In Iran it is 12, recently raised from 9
• In Germany and some US states it is 14
• In Dubai, it is unlawful at any age unless married

Question 15

before SOA 2003

Answer 15

• Before the current law was enacted, there were myriad sexual offences concerning both those done to children, y adults and those done between underage individuals
• When the SOA came into force, it was decided the former should be criminalised heavily and the latter less serious – while remaining an offence

Question 16

age of 16

Answer 16

• When considering the issue of consent and when someone is a child when regarding sexual offences, we need to look at the age of 16
• This is applicable to all sexual activity – interestingly in the 1990’s the age of consent for homosexual activity was 21

Question 17

S9(1) a person aged 18 or over commits an offence if..

Answer 17

He intentionally touches another person

b) The touching is sexual, and
c) Either
d) V is under 16 and D does not reasonable believe that B is 16 or over, or
e) B is under 13

Question 18

seriousness of touching

Answer 18

• The nature of touching means that some methods are taken more seriously than others
• However, there is no ‘lowest amount’
• If the touching is of a sexual nature, then it will be criminalized
• Note: if the V is under 16, their consent is actually irrelevant
• The touching in these cases, must also be intended

Question 19

what if they are under 18

Answer 19

• The above statute commented on those aged 18 or above
• But if the same offence is committed by an under 18-year-old, it is charged under s13 and involved a maximum of 5years imprisonment
• For those 18+ the maximum penalty is 14 years imprisonment under S9

Question 20

position of trust

Answer 20

• However, the age of consent can change depending on the scenario
• If the adult holds a position of trust such as in a school or warden in a YOI, the relevant age of consent is actually 18
• Therefore, the consent of a 16 or 17 year old would be as irrelevant as that of a under 16 year old in a ‘normal’ scenario

Question 21

both under 18

Answer 21

• So, what if there is consensual sexual activity between a 15yr old and 16 yr old? Two 15yr olds?
• While technically an offence (if it was reported)it is more likely to be deal w/by social services as it is not in the public interest

Question 22

S1 protection of Children act 1978 makes it an offence

Answer 22

• To take, or permit to be taken or to make any indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child

Question 23

context of indecent photographs of children

Answer 23

• The absolute lower age limit of the subject in relation to photographs of any indecent nature is 18 – for it to be lawfully distributed or produced
• ‘Hardcore’ pornography where all are 18+ is legal subject to restrictions
• ‘Softcore’ pornography is unrestricted (18+)
• Note: extreme pornography including violence has recently been outlawed and is no longer permitted to be produced in the UK

Question 24

creation vs possession

Answer 24

• S1 PCA 1978 relates to those who make or publish the material
• Those who possess or view this material are far more likely to come to police notice, and this is dealt with under s160 (1) CJA 1988:
• It is an offence for any person to have any indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child in his possession

Question 25

defences against indecent photographs

Answer 25

• That they had a legitimate reason for having the material
• That they had not seen the material, or had any cause to suspect it to be indecent
• The material was sent without any prior request made by him or on his behalf and did not keep it for an unreasonable time

Question 26

prostitution

Answer 26

• Being a prostitute or paying for sexual activity are not illegal, and haven’t been for some time 0 since the 1960’s
• The law has commonly criminalised the behavior surrounding prostitution, effectively in order to make it as unlawful as possible

Question 27

what is illegal in terms of prostitution

Answer 27

• To live off the earnings of a prostitute
• To keep or run a brothel
• Procure a woman to be a prostitute – most commonly held under the trafficking laws to prevent forced sexual labour

Question 28

S1 Street Offences Act - kerb crawling

Answer 28

• Under S1 SOA 1959, it is an offence for a prostitute to soliciot their services or loiter in a public place
• In Smith v Hughes [1960] the metaphorical kerb was also extended to front windows etc

Question 29

children and prostitution

Answer 29

• Since 2000, there has been a shift in attitudes concerning those involved in prostitution under the age of 16
• While they are committing an offence, it has shifted – rightfully so, to establish hat these children are in fact victims of sexual abuse rather than prolific in their offence

Question 30

S1 sexual offences act 1985

Answer 30

• Prohibits the offence of kerb crawling, which is the solicitation of prostitutes from a motor vehicle
• Realistically, those caught by this are diverted into some sort of treatment programme by police, rather than a criminal trial

Question 31

indecent exposure

Answer 31

• This is an offence highly regarded as stereotypical, ‘creepy old man in raincoat’
• However, this is not gender specific and merely requires that the D flashes their genitals, hoping that someone will see them and be caused alarm or distress

Question 32

indecent exposure if not genitals?

Answer 32

• If the body part exposed is not genitals, but still capable of ‘outraging public decency’ then the offence will still be S66 SOA 2003 – such as a woman flashing her breasts at passing cars