Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

1. Introduction

2. Background and Policy Objectives

3. Overview

   1. Part 1: Sexual offences

      1. Chapter 1: Criminal Conduct

         1. Voyeurism

         2. Sending an unwanted sexual image (Cyber-flashing)

         3. Sexual grooming

         4. Abuse of Position of Trust

         5. Private Sexual Images

         6. Miscellaneous amendments as to sexual offences

      2. Chapter 2: Anonymity and Privacy

   2. Part 2: Trafficking and Exploitation

   3. Part 3: Chapter 1: Prevention Orders

      1. Chapter 2: Causing or Risking Serious Harm

4. Commentary on Sections

   1. Part 1: Sexual offences

      1. Chapter 1: Criminal Conduct

         1. Section 1: Voyeurism: additional offences

         2. Section 2: Sending etc.an unwanted sexual image (Cyber-flashing)

         3. Section 3: Consequential amendments

         4. Section 4: Sexual grooming: pretending to be a child

         5. Section 5: Abuse of position of trust: relevant positions

         6. Section 6: Private sexual images: threatening to disclose

         7. Section 7: Miscellaneous amendments as to sexual offences

      2. Chapter 2: Anonymity and privacy

         1. Anonymity of victims

            1. Section 8: Extended anonymity of victims

            2. Section 9: Disapplication of anonymity of victim after death

            3. Section 10: Increase in penalty for breach of anonymity

            4. Section 11: Special rules for providers of information society services

         2. Anonymity of suspects

            1. Section 12: Restriction on reports as to suspects of sexual offences

            2. Section 13: Meaning of sexual offence insection 12

            3. Section 14: Power to dis-apply reporting restriction

            4. Section 15: Magistrates’ courts rules

            5. Section 16: Offence relating to reporting

            6. Section 17: Interpretation of sections 12 to 16

            7. Section 18: Consequential amendment

         3. Exclusion from proceedings

            1. Section 19: Serious sexual offences: exclusion of public from court

            2. Section 20: Guidance about Part 1

   2. Part 2: Trafficking and exploitation

      1. Section 21: Support for victims of trafficking etc.

      2. Section 22: Defence for slavery and trafficking victims

      3. Section 23: Reports on slavery and trafficking offences

      4. Section 24: Protective measures for victims of slavery or trafficking

   3. Part 3: Chapter 1: Prevention Orders

      1. Section 25: Qualifying offences for Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPO)

      2. Section 26: Time limit for making Violent Offences Prevention Orders (VOPO)

      3. Chapter 2: Causing or risking serious harm

         1. Section 27: Consent to harm for sexual gratification is no defence

         2. Section 28: Offence of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation

   4. Part 4: Final provisions

      1. Section 29: Ancillary regulations

      2. Section 30: Commencement

      3. Section 31: Short title

5. Schedules

   1. Schedule 1: Consequential amendments: voyeurism (additional offences) and sending etc an unwanted sexual image.

   2. Schedule 2: Miscellaneous amendments as to sexual offences

      1. Part 1: Amendment of references to certain forms of child sexual abuse

      2. Part 2: Amendments relating to the offence of engaging in sexual communication with a child

      3. Part 3: Amendment relating to the offence of paying for the sexual services of a person

   3. Schedule 3: Offence of breach of anonymity: providers of information society services

   4. Schedule 4: Offence of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation: Consequential Amendments

6. Hansard Reports