Sexual Offences

The aim of this new legislation is to provide a coherent and effective legal framework governing sexual offences, while at the same time increasing protection of children and vulnerable persons and imposing greater maximum penalties on offenders. This is a guide to the new law.

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The Sexual Offences Bill currently before parliament will, in the words of the Government, bring about "the most radical overhaul of sex offences legislation for 50 years". The aim of the new legislation is to provide a coherent and effective legal framework governing sexual offences, while at the same time increasing protection of children and vulnerable persons and imposing greater maximum penalties on offenders.
Amongst the changes proposed in the Bill include: increased protection for children in the form of a new offence of "grooming" designed to deal with those who meet children with the intention of committing a sex offence, greater penalties for sexual offences against children, and a range of new offences designed to deal with inappropriate sexual behaviour with children; strengthening of the registration of sex offenders including the requirement that those registered confirm their details annually (rather than every five years) and provide their National Insurance details to safeguard against evasion; and clarification of the law of consent in rape, the introduction of new sexual offences such as assault by penetration and sexual assault, and the strengthening of existing offences, for example in relation to drug rape. This book is an authoritative guide to the new Act. In addition to the detailed explanatory commentary of the new law, the text of the Act as it applies to England and Wales is included together with annotations.