Crime and Policing Act 2026

Prospective

136 Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm: supplementary E+W+N.I.

(1) Where—

(a) a person (D1) arranges for another person (D2) to do an act that is capable of encouraging or assisting the serious self-harm of another person, and

(b) D2 does that act,

D1 is to be treated for the purposes of section 135 as also having done it.

(2) Where an act done by a person (D) is not capable of encouraging or assisting the serious self-harm of another person, it is to be treated for the purposes of section 135 and this section as being so capable if the act would have been so capable—

(a) had the facts been as D believed them to be at the time of the act, or

(b) had subsequent events happened in the manner D believed they would happen,

(or both).

(3) The provider of an internet service is not to be regarded as doing an act within section 135(1) by reason only of providing the internet service by which a communication is sent, transmitted or published.

(4) Section 135(4) applies for the purposes of this section.

(5) In consequence of the provision made by section 135 and this section, section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (including the italic heading before that section) is repealed.

(6) In Schedule 4 to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (offences to which defence in section 45 does not apply), in paragraph 36D (inserted by section 48), after the entry for section 92 (inserted by section 95), insert—

• “section 135 (encouraging or assisting serious self-harm).”

Commencement Information

I1 S. 136 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 255(1)(8)(k)