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Number 6 of 2007 |
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CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) (AMENDMENT) ACT 2007 |
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ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS |
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Section |
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2. Soliciting or importuning for purposes of commission of sexual offence. |
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Acts Referred to |
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Number 6 of 2007 |
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CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) (AMENDMENT) ACT 2007 |
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AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 1993, THE CHILD TRAFFICKING AND PORNOGRAPHY ACT 1998 AND THE CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 2006; AND TO PROVIDE FOR MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH. |
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[7th March, 2007] |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS: |
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Definitions. |
1.— In this Act— |
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“ Act of 1981 ” means Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981; |
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“Act of 1990” means the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 ; |
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“ Act of 1993 ” means the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 ; |
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“ Act of 2006 ” means the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 . |
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Soliciting or importuning for purposes of commission of sexual offence. |
2.— The Act of 1993 is amended by the substitution of the following section for section 6 (inserted by section 250 of the Children Act 2001 ): |
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“6.— (1) A person who solicits or importunes a child (whether or not for the purposes of prostitution) for the purposes of the commission of an act that would constitute an offence— |
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(a) under section 2 or 3 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 , or |
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(b) referred to in section 2 of the Act of 1990, |
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shall be guilty of an offence. |
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(2) A person who solicits or importunes a person who is mentally impaired (whether or not for the purposes of prostitution) for the purposes of the commission of an act that would constitute an offence— |
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(a) under section 5 of this Act, or |
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(b) referred to in section 2 of the Act of 1990, |
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shall be guilty of an offence. |
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(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable— |
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(a) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both, or |
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(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or to both. |
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(4) In this section— |
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‘Act of 1990’ means the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 ; |
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‘ child ’ means a person under the age of 17 years; |
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‘ mentally impaired ’ has the same meaning as it has in section 5 of this Act.”. |
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Application of certain enactments. |
3.— (1) Section 4A of the Act of 1981 is amended, in subsection (6), by the insertion after “an offence under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 ” (inserted by section 6(2) of the Act of 2006) of “an offence under section 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 ”. |
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(2) References in section 3 of the Act of 1981 to jury shall, in the case of summary proceedings for an offence under section 6 (inserted by section 2 ), be construed as references to court. |
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(3) Sections 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the Act of 1981 shall apply to an offence under section 6 of the Act of 1993 subject to the modification that references in any of those sections to— |
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(a) sexual assault offence shall be construed as including references to an offence under section 6 of the Act of 1993, and |
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(b) rape offence shall be construed as including references to an offence under section 6 of the Act of 1993. |
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(4) Section 26 of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 is amended, in subsection (3)(b), by the substitution of “an offence under section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences)(Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 , or of an offence under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 ” for “unlawful carnal knowledge under section 1 or 2 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1935 ”. |
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Amendment of certain enactments. |
4.— (1) Section 2 of the Criminal Evidence Act 1992 is amended, in the definition of “sexual offence”, by the insertion of the following paragraph: |
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“(aa) section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 ;”. |
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(2) The Schedule to the Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996 is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph: |
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“2. Section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 .”. |
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(3) The Schedule to the Bail Act 1997 is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph: |
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“12B. An offence under section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 .”. |
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(4) The Schedule to the Sex Offenders Act 2001 is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph: |
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“21. An offence under section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 .”. |
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Amendment of Act of 2006. |
5.— (1) Section 3 of the Act of 2006 is amended— |
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(a) in paragraph (a) of subsection (2), by the substitution of “5 years” for “2 years”, |
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(b) in paragraph (b) of subsection (2), by the substitution of “10 years” for “4 years”, |
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(c) in paragraph (a) of subsection (4), by the substitution of “10 years” for “4 years”, and |
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(d) in paragraph (b) of subsection (4), by the substitution of “15 years” for “7 years”. |
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(2) Section 6 of the Act of 2006 is amended by the insertion of the following subsection: |
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“(1A) References in section 3 of the Act of 1981 to jury shall, in the case of summary proceedings for an offence under this Act, be construed as references to court.”. |
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Meeting child for purpose of sexual exploitation. |
6.— Section 3 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 is amended by— |
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(a) the insertion of the following subsections: |
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“(2A) Any person who within the State— |
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(a) intentionally meets, or travels with the intention of meeting, a child, having met or communicated with that child on 2 or more previous occasions, and |
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(b) does so for the purpose of doing anything that would constitute sexual exploitation of the child, |
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shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years. |
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(2B) Any person, being a citizen of the State or being ordinarily resident in the State, who outside the State— |
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(a) intentionally meets, or travels with the intention of meeting, a child, having met or communicated with that child on 2 or more previous occasions, and |
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(b) does so for the purpose of doing anything that would constitute sexual exploitation of the child, |
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shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.”, |
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and |
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(b) the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3): |
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“(3) In this section ‘ sexual exploitation ’ means, in relation to a child— |
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(a) inviting, inducing or coercing the child to engage in prostitution or the production of child pornography, |
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(b) using the child for prostitution or the production of child pornography, |
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(c) inviting, inducing or coercing the child to participate in any sexual activity which is an offence under any enactment, |
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(d) the commission of any such offence against the child, or |
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(e) inviting, inducing or coercing the child to participate in or observe any activity of a sexual or indecent nature.”. |
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Short title. |
7.— This Act may be cited as the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007 . |