What's Changed?
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The 2003 Act delivers the most radical reform of sex
offences for more than 100 years, including new laws
protecting the young and vulnerable and tough penalties
for offenders.
Comparative Table (file size 60 kb)
A breakdown of the differences between previous offences
and those contained in the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Warning: this document is sexually explicit and may
cause offence
Changes in the Act include:
Sexual Offences
- One of the most important changes is the overhaul
on the law on consent. The Act introduces a test of
reasonableness into the law on consent and a list of
circumstances which various presumptions will be made
as to the complainant’s consent and the defendants
reasonable belief in consent
- Introduction of new child sex offences
- Introduction of the offence of meeting a child
following sexual grooming
- New categories of offences to protect people
with a mental disorder or learning disability
- New offences and proportionate penalties to
the criminal abuse of children through prostitution
and pornography and to trafficking offences, providing
greater protection for children and adults
- The Act repeals previous discriminatory offences
that can be used against homosexuals as of many measures
to ensure the gender neutrality of the Ac
Sex Offenders
Part two of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 strengthens
the sex offenders 'register' by making the following
changes:
- Offenders will have to notify changes to their
details (such as name or address) within 3 days of the
change taking place
- Offenders will have to notify any address in the
UK where they stay for 7 days or more
• All
offenders will have to re-confirm their notified details
annually
- All notifications will have to be made in person
and the police may take fingerprints and photographs
- Offenders will have to notify their National Insurance
number
- All offenders will have to notify the police if
they intend to travel abroad for 3 days or more
- Part two of the Act also introduces several new
civil preventative orders to assist the police
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