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Sexual offences committed against children (under the age of 18) are covered under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. If such an accusation is made against you and you have been contacted by the police or been charged with an offence, please contact our dedicated and experienced team of solicitors on 01616 966 229.
The law divides sexual offences against children into different age groups: children under 13, under 16 and under 18. Outlined below is a list of the main offences that can result in someone being accused of a sexual offence against a child and the possible penalties.
These types of cases can also relate to historic allegations that can date back many years. It is important that you seek our expert legal advice as soon as an allegation is made against you.
The thought of attending the police station or court in respect of an allegation of this nature can be a nerve wracking experience for most individuals, but our dedicated team of experienced solicitors and barristers are on hand to assist you every step of the way. Cases like this are usually dealt with at the Crown Court and it is therefore imperative that you seek legal representation.
Sentences for people found guilty range from a maximum of life imprisonment for the most serious offences to a maximum of 14 years’ custody for the other offences.
As the law recognises the age of consent to be 16, any sexual activity involving consenting children under 16 is unlawful.
The range of offences affecting this age group are:
These offences carry maximum sentences of between 10 and 14 years for people found guilty except for people under 18, whose maximum penalties are between six months and five years’ imprisonment.
These offences relate to people who have a particular responsibility in their relationship with a child which overrules any consent the child might have given to sexual activity. The offences include:
The potential maximum sentence when found guilty of an offence ranges from five years to 14 years.
There are specific offences relating to the use of children (aged under 18) in the sex industry:
Penalties for these offences range from a maximum of seven years to life imprisonment.
Two laws cover this area of child sex offences: the Protection of Children Act 1978 (PCA 1978) and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (CJA 1988).
Under the PCA 1978, an offence is committed if a person deliberately or knowingly took, made, permitted to be taken, distributed or showed indecent photographs (or pseudo-photographs created by computer or other graphic method) of a child or possessed them in order to distribute or show them or published any advertisement for indecent photographs of children.
The CJA 1988 covers the offence of possession of an indecent photograph of a child.
Maximum penalties for these offences range from six months’ imprisonment and/or the maximum fine to five years under the CJA and 10 years under the PCA.
Offenders are also subject to ancillary orders which includes signing the sex offenders register and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which means adults are barred from engaging in regulated activity with children.
In April 2015, the government introduced new legislation for people who share sexually explicit images without the subject’s consent.
‘Revenge porn is the sharing of private sexual images (or videos) of another person without the subjects consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress’
Under this piece of legislation, a suspect convicted of an offence of this nature, can face a prison sentence of up to 6 months in the Magistrates Court and up to 2 years at the Crown Court.
An example of revenge porn would be an ex partner uploading a sexual explicit image of the victim to the internet, Facebook or Twitter or sending the image to their friends or family. It is irrelevant whether victim consented to the image being taken in the first place. If the image is uploaded without their consent and with the intention of causing distress, humiliation and embarrassment to the victim, then the police are likely to prosecute.
If the images taken are of a person under the age of 18, further offences may be considered under the Protection of Children Act 1978.
If you have been asked to attend an interview by the police or you are at any stage of criminal prosecution, please contact us on 01616 966 229. Alternatively, complete our online enquiry form and one of our team will contact you directly to discuss your situation.
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