Sexual Offences Act 2003 Explanatory Notes

Section 85: Notification requirements: periodic notification

169.Section 85 provides (at subsection (1)) that an offender must re-notify the police of the details set out in subsection (5) of section 83 within one year after each of the specified events, unless during this period he re-notifies, because of a change of circumstances, under section 84.

170.The specified events are:

  • the commencement of this Part of the Act;

  • any notification the offender has given under subsection (1) of section 83 or 85; and

  • any earlier notification the offender has given under subsection (1).

171.Commencement will only be a trigger for this periodic notification requirement where a person is exempt from complying with subsection (1) of section 83 by reason ofsubsection (2), (3) or (4) of section 83 (i.e., where the person has complied with an earlier initial notification requirement).

172.This means that where a person becomes subject to the notification requirements for the first time and does not change his name or address and does not stay away from home for 7 days or more, he will have to re-notify within a year of his initial notification and annually thereafter. Where a person does notify his having stayed away from home for 7 days, for example, he will have to re-notify the police of the information set out in subsection (5) of section 83 within a year of giving the notification of having stayed away from home. And, if within that year he notifies another period spent away from home, or a change of name or address, the re-notification of the details set out in section 83(5) will be put back to a year after that latter notification.

173.Subsection (3) provides that where a relevant offender is detained or abroad in the ways provided at subsection (4) at the time the periodic notification requirement falls due, the person may give that notification up to 3 days after he is released from the detention specified in subsection (4) or returns to the UK.

Back to top