Sexual Offences

The Supreme Court has upheld a conviction of sexual assault against a 14-year-old boy who smacked the bare bottom of a six-year-old child. The court held that the assault involved an element of indecency which justified the conviction of sexual assault as distinct from mere assault. Delivering the m

The Court of Appeal has quashed the conviction of a man accused of sexually assaulting his daughter in bed after the trial judge failed to adequately address the jury on whether the man was awake at the time of the offending. It was argued by the man that no assault occurred, but that if it did occu

A landlord has been jailed following the first sex-for-rent conviction in England. Christopher Cox, 53, of Guildford Road, Cranleigh, pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting prostitution for gain and one count of controlling prostitution for gain when he appeared before Guildford Crown Court in Mar

A new qualification programme to train intermediaries who will help vulnerable people, including sexual abuse victims and children, when giving evidence in the justice system has been launched at the University of Limerick in collaboration with the Department of Justice. The part-time professional d

A proposed ban on exploitative "sex-for-rent" arrangements has moved closer to becoming law after a private member's bill passed second stage in the Dáil yesterday with cross-party support. The Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022, proposed by Social Democrats TD Cian O'Callaghan, would introduce a

Wide-ranging legislating updating the law on sexual offending in Northern Ireland has completed its final stage in the Assembly. The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill creates several new offences, including non-fatal strangulation, up-skirting and down-blousing, cyber-flash

The Court of Appeal has increased the sentence for a woman convicted of making a false statement to gardaí about a sexual assault. The woman was initially sentenced to two years' imprisonment which was fully suspended. However, the Court of Appeal held that the offending was so serious that i

A new statutory offence of "cyber-flashing" will be introduced in Northern Ireland under legislative amendments approved by MLAs yesterday. The Northern Ireland Assembly agreed to amend the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill to include the new offence, which will criminalise the

So-called "sex-for-rent" arrangements should be criminalised in Ireland, justice minister Helen McEntee has said. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Mrs McEntee said she and housing minister Darragh O'Brien have jointly sought advice from the Attorney General on "how we can go from here to try t

Just eight people were convicted of rape in Northern Ireland in the 2020/21 financial year amid a significant decrease in court business during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) received a total of 1,568 files involving a sexual offence in 2020/21, a decrease of 6.9 per cen

Anonymous reporting through a helpline or smartphone app could help tackle workplace sexual harassment in Ireland, according to a new research discussion paper. The paper summarises research conducted by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), with contributions from A&L Goodbody and solicitor M&aacut

A support service for victims of sexual violence in Northern Ireland will close at the end of the month in advance of a new state-led service being launched. Victim Support NI announced "with regret" that its independent sexual violence advocate (ISVA) service would close on 31 August 2021.

A pared-back bill to update the law on sexual offending in Northern Ireland has been introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill is focused on enhancing public safety and improving services for victims of trafficking and exploitation.

Significant additional resources and a "culture change" are needed to tackle delays in Irish rape trials, a major new report has recommended. Dr Susan Leahy of the University of Limerick produced the 49-page report, titled The Realities of Rape Trials in Ireland: Perspectives from Practice, in partn

Slovenia has become the 13th country in Europe to pass legislation defining rape as sex without consent. The new amendment to the Slovenian criminal code, debated for nearly three years, removes the requirement for evidence of use of force or the threat of use of force and violence to classify an ac