Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Meaning of sexual offence in section 12

13.—(1) In section 12, “ sexual offence” means any of the following offences against the law of Northern Ireland—

(a) an offence under section 61 or 62 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (buggery, attempt to commit buggery, assault with intent to commit buggery or indecent assault on a male);

(b) an offence under section 2 of the Attempted Rape, etc., Act (Northern Ireland) 1960 (assault with intent to commit rape);

(c) an offence under section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 (abuse of position of trust);

(d) an offence under Article 19 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 (buggery);

(e) an offence under any provision of the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008;

(f) an offence under section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (possession of extreme pornographic images);

(g) an offence under section 69 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 (possession of a paedophile manual);

(h) any attempt to commit any of the offences mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (g);

(i) any conspiracy to commit any of those offences;

(j) any incitement of another to commit any of those offences;

(k) aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of any of those offences;

(l) an offence under Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 (encouraging or assisting crime) in relation to any of those offences;

(m) an offence (not falling within any other paragraph of this subsection) specified in Part 2 of Schedule 2 to the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008.

(2) The Department of Justice may by regulations amend this section so as to alter the meaning of “sexual offence” for the purposes of section 12.

(3) Regulations under subsection (2) may not be made unless a draft of the regulations has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the Assembly.