News this week that the structure of the Child Sexual Abuse inquiry is in question once again as victims groups express concern in relation to appointed panellists. Reports in The Independent here and in The Guardian UK here came as two of our co-authors wrote on these issues for Huffington Post and the Solicitors Journal. To … Continue reading
Earlier this month, the second edition of the Sexual Offences Handbook arrived from the printers – and we’re thrilled with it! To order your copy visit Wildy’s or Amazon. Contents The new edition covers all the law, practice and procedure on sexual offending in England and Wales since 1957; whether you have a complicated historical sexual … Continue reading
So ubiquitous has become the phrase ‘revenge porn’ that the Oxford English Dictionary’s next update will probably include it. This concept covers both the posting of previously private indecent images by a disgruntled ex-partner or by a malicious hacker. The combination of the camera phone and the internet provided the fertile ground for this rather … Continue reading
In the Rolf Harris trial one victim was said to have waived her anonymity. There is no law that allows her to do this although a publisher would have a defence to an allegation of contempt if she had provided written consent. The law requires an application to be made to the court. Witness … Continue reading
News of concern over child abuse on the dark net came within a month of the children’s entertainer and artist Rolf Harris being convicted and sentenced for historic indecent assaults on more than one complainant. The full sentencing remarks are here. Other counts for making indecent images of children were separated and then not pursued. News reports … Continue reading
“It is my strong belief that when it comes to sexual violence, we cannot expect peace without justice, reparation without recognition, and sustainable development without the full empowerment of those who have suffered sexual violence or are at risk.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon There is a global summit to end sexual violence in … Continue reading
The publicist Max Clifford has been convicted by a jury of offences of indecent assault on teenage girls dating back to 1977. The facts read like an aggressive Benny Hill show where Max Clifford used his position of trust to abuse teenage girls in the context of the euphemistic casting couch. He will be sentenced … Continue reading
There is no part of a statute which states “The Age of Consent is X”. There is no common law principle giving ‘The Age of Consent”. So what do people mean when they talk about the age of consent? Most people would say that it means the age when it is legal to have sex, … Continue reading
Piers Morgan once asked William Roache about bedding 1000 women. Roache gave no clear answer. The prosecution were prevented from asking Roache the same question in the recent rape trial even though his evidence appeared different from what he had intimated on TV. Why? Because Roache was on trial for rape not for what we … Continue reading
Statistics for domestic violence of the Christmas period are always awful. For some spouses, this can include rape. It is incredible to think that before 1992, the law was that a man could rape his wife, effectively enforcing conjugal rights. The wife was deemed to consent to sexual intercourse on marrying the husband. In 1992 … Continue reading
