Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000

1 Reduction in age at which certain sexual acts are lawful

(1) In the [1956 c. 69.] Sexual Offences Act 1956—

(a) in subsections (1A) and (1C) of section 12 (buggery); and

(b) in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph 16 (indecency between men etc.) of Schedule 2 (punishments etc.),

for the word “eighteen” there shall be substituted the word “sixteen”.

(2) In the [1967 c. 60.] Sexual Offences Act 1967—

(a) in subsections (1) and (6) of section 1 (amendment of law relating to homosexual acts in private), for the word “eighteen” there shall be substituted the word “sixteen”; and

(b) in section 8 (restriction on prosecutions), for the word “twenty-one” there shall be substituted the word “sixteen”.

(3) In section 13 of the [1995 c. 39.] Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 (homosexual offences)—

(a) in subsections (1) and (5)(c), for the word “eighteen”; and

(b) in subsection (8), for the word “18”,

there shall be substituted the word “sixteen”.

(4) In paragraphs (1) and (5) of Article 3 of the [S.I. 1982/1536 (N.I. 19).] Homosexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1982 (homosexual acts in private), for the word “18” there shall be substituted the word “17”.

(5) Section 145 of the [1994 c. 33.] Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (which is superseded by this section) is hereby repealed.