Part 4Children
Young children
24Communicating indecently with a young child etc.
(1)
If a person (“A”), intentionally and for a purpose mentioned in subsection (3)—
(a)
sends, by whatever means, a sexual written communication to, or
(b)
directs, by whatever means, a sexual verbal communication at,
a child (“B”) who has not attained the age of 13 years, then A commits an offence, to be known as the offence of communicating indecently with a young child.
(2)
If, in circumstances other than are as mentioned in subsection (1), a person (“A”), intentionally and for a purpose mentioned in subsection (3) causes a child (“B”) who has not attained the age of 13 years to see or hear, by whatever means, a sexual written communication or sexual verbal communication, then A commits an offence, to be known as the offence of causing a young child to see or hear an indecent communication.
(3)
The purposes are—
(a)
obtaining sexual gratification,
(b)
humiliating, distressing or alarming B.
(4)
In this section—
“written communication” means a communication in whatever written form, and without prejudice to that generality includes a communication which comprises writings of a person other than A (as for example a passage in a book or magazine), and
“verbal communication” means a communication in whatever verbal form, and without prejudice to that generality includes—
(a)
a communication which comprises sounds of sexual activity (whether actual or simulated), and
(b)
a communication by means of sign language.