Section 19: Meaning of relevant offender
83.Section 19 defines what is meant by a “relevant offender” for the purposes of section 18.
84.Subsection (2) provides that a person is a relevant offender if any of the court disposals listed in the subsection have been made in the UK in relation to that person and in respect of a relevant trafficking or exploitation offence (as set out in section 16 of the Act).
85.Subsections (3) to (5) deal with findings of courts and tribunals outside the United Kingdom. Subsection (3) provides that a person is a relevant offender if, under the law of a country outside the United Kingdom, a listed disposal is made in respect of a person in relation to an offence which is equivalent to an offence listed in section 16. Subsections (4) and (5) set out tests for determining whether an offence is equivalent to a relevant offence. In particular, such offences are acts which constitute offences under the law of the country concerned and which would constitute a relevant trafficking or exploitation offence under the law of Scotland if done in the UK, by a UK national or person habitually resident in Scotland or as regards the UK (e.g. by virtue of the fact that travel was arranged into, out of or within the UK).
86.Subsection (6) establishes a mechanism for determining whether an act constituting an offence in a country outside the UK would constitute an offence under the law of Scotland.
87.Subsection (8) provides that, for the purposes of this section, convictions, acquittals, findings and cautions include those which took place before this section comes into force.