Sexual Offences Act 2003 (c. 42)

(The document as of February, 2008)

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(1) A person commits an offence if he--

(a) fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with section 83(1), 84(1), 84(4)(b), 85(1), 87(4) or 89(2)(b) or any requirement imposed by regulations made under section 86(1); or

(b) notifies to the police, in purported compliance with section 83(1), 84(1) or 85(1) or any requirement imposed by regulations made under section 86(1), any information which he knows to be false.

(2) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable--

(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.

(3) A person commits an offence under paragraph (a) of subsection (1) on the day on which he first fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with section 83(1), 84(1) or 85(1) or a requirement imposed by regulations made under section 86(1), and continues to commit it throughout any period during which the failure continues; but a person must not be prosecuted under subsection (1) more than once in respect of the same failure.

(4) Proceedings for an offence under this section may be commenced in any court having jurisdiction in any place where the person charged with the offence resides or is found.

92 Certificates for purposes of Part 2

(1) Subsection (2) applies where on any date a person is--

(a) convicted of an offence listed in Schedule 3;

(b) found not guilty of such an offence by reason of insanity; or

(2) If the court by or before which the person is so convicted or found--

(a) states in open court--

(i) that on that date he has been convicted, found not guilty by reason of insanity or found to be under a disability and to have done the act charged against him, and

(ii) that the offence in question is an offence listed in Schedule 3, and

(b) certifies those facts, whether at the time or subsequently,

the certificate is, for the purposes of this Part, evidence (or, in Scotland, sufficient evidence) of those facts.

(3) Subsection (4) applies where on any date a person is, in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, cautioned in respect of an offence listed in Schedule 3.

(4) If the constable--

(a) informs the person that he has been cautioned on that date and that the offence in question is an offence listed in Schedule 3, and

(b) certifies those facts, whether at the time or subsequently, in such form as the Secretary of State may by order prescribe,

the certificate is, for the purposes of this Part, evidence (or, in Scotland, sufficient evidence) of those facts.

93 Abolished homosexual offences

Schedule 4 (procedure for ending notification requirements for abolished homosexual offences) has effect.

Information for verification

94 Part 2: supply of information to Secretary of State etc. for verification

(1) This section applies to information notified to the police under--

(a) section 83, 84 or 85, or

(b) section 2(1) to (3) of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (c. 51).

(2) A person within subsection (3) may, for the purposes of the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences under this Part, supply information to which this section applies to--

(a) the Secretary of State,

(b) a Northern Ireland Department, or

(c) a person providing services to the Secretary of State or a Northern Ireland Department in connection with a relevant function,

for use for the purpose of verifying the information.

(3) The persons are--

(a) a chief officer of police (in Scotland, a chief constable),

(b) the Police Information Technology Organisation,

(d) the Director General of the National Crime Squad.

(4) In relation to information supplied under subsection (2) to any person, the reference to verifying the information is a reference to--

(a) checking its accuracy by comparing it with information held--

(i) where the person is the Secretary of State or a Northern Ireland Department, by him or it in connection with the exercise of a relevant function, or

(ii) where the person is within subsection (2)(c), by that person in connection with the provision of services referred to there, and

(b) compiling a report of that comparison.

(5) Subject to subsection (6), the supply of information under this section is to be taken not to breach any restriction on the disclosure of information (however arising or imposed).

(6) This section does not authorise the doing of anything that contravenes the Data Protection Act 1998 (c. 29).

(7) This section does not affect any power existing apart from this section to supply information.

(8) In this section--

"Northern Ireland Department" means the Department for Employment and Learning, the Department of the Environment or the Department for Social Development;
"relevant function" means--
(a)
a function relating to social security, child support, employment or training,
(b)
a function relating to passports,
(c)
a function under Part 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) or Part 2 of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/154 (N.I. 1)).

95 Part 2: supply of information by Secretary of State etc.

(1) A report compiled under section 94 may be supplied by--

(a) the Secretary of State,

(b) a Northern Ireland Department, or

to a person within subsection (2).

(2) The persons are--

(a) a chief officer of police (in Scotland, a chief constable),

(b) the Director General of the National Criminal Intelligence Service,

(3) Such a report may contain any information held--

(a) by the Secretary of State or a Northern Ireland Department in connection with the exercise of a relevant function, or

(b) by a person within section 94(2)(c) in connection with the provision of services referred to there.

(4) Where such a report contains information within subsection (3), the person within subsection (2) to whom it is supplied--

(a) may retain the information, whether or not used for the purposes of the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of an offence under this Part, and

(b) may use the information for any purpose related to the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences (whether or not under this Part), but for no other purpose.

(5) Subsections (5) to (8) of section 94 apply in relation to this section as they apply in relation to section 94.

Information about release or transfer

96 Information about release or transfer

(1) This section applies to a relevant offender who is serving a sentence of imprisonment or a term of service detention, or is detained in a hospital.

(2) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision requiring notice to be given by the person who is responsible for that offender to persons prescribed by the regulations, of any occasion when the offender is released or a different person becomes responsible for him.

(3) The regulations may make provision for determining who is to be treated for the purposes of this section as responsible for an offender.

Notification orders

97 Notification orders: applications and grounds

(1) A chief officer of police may, by complaint to any magistrates' court whose commission area includes any part of his police area, apply for an order under this section (a "notification order") in respect of a person ("the defendant") if--

(a) it appears to him that the following three conditions are met with respect to the defendant, and

(b) the defendant resides in his police area or the chief officer believes that the defendant is in, or is intending to come to, his police area.

(2) The first condition is that under the law in force in a country outside the United Kingdom--

(a) he has been convicted of a relevant offence (whether or not he has been punished for it),

(b) a court exercising jurisdiction under that law has made in respect of a relevant offence a finding equivalent to a finding that he is not guilty by reason of insanity,

(c) such a court has made in respect of a relevant offence a finding equivalent to a finding that he is under a disability and did the act charged against him in respect of the offence, or

(d) he has been cautioned in respect of a relevant offence.

(3) The second condition is that--

(a) the first condition is met because of a conviction, finding or caution which occurred on or after 1st September 1997,

(b) the first condition is met because of a conviction or finding which occurred before that date, but the person was dealt with in respect of the offence or finding on or after that date, or has yet to be dealt with in respect of it, or

(c) the first condition is met because of a conviction or finding which occurred before that date, but on that date the person was, in respect of the offence or finding, subject under the law in force in the country concerned to detention, supervision or any other disposal equivalent to any of those mentioned in section 81(3) (read with sections 81(6) and 131).

(4) The third condition is that the period set out in section 82 (as modified by subsections (2) and (3) of section 98) in respect of the relevant offence has not expired.

(5) If on the application it is proved that the conditions in subsections (2) to (4) are met, the court must make a notification order.

(6) In this section and section 98, "relevant offence" has the meaning given by section 99.

98 Notification orders: effect

(1) Where a notification order is made--

(a) the application of this Part to the defendant in respect of the conviction, finding or caution to which the order relates is subject to the modifications set out below, and

(b) subject to those modifications, the defendant becomes or (as the case may be) remains subject to the notification requirements of this Part for the notification period set out in section 82.

(2) The "relevant date" means--

(a) in the case of a person within section 97(2)(a), the date of the conviction;

(b) in the case of a person within section 97(2)(b) or (c), the date of the finding;

(3) In section 82--

(a) references, except in the Table, to a person (or relevant offender) within any provision of section 80 are to be read as references to the defendant;

(b) the reference in the Table to section 80(1)(d) is to be read as a reference to section 97(2)(d);

(c) references to an order of any description are to be read as references to any corresponding disposal made in relation to the defendant in respect of an offence or finding by reference to which the notification order was made;

(d) the reference to offences listed in Schedule 3 is to be read as a reference to relevant offences.

(4) In sections 83 and 85, references to the commencement of this Part are to be read as references to the date of service of the notification order.

99 Sections 97 and 98: relevant offences

(1) "Relevant offence" in sections 97 and 98 means an act which--

(a) constituted an offence under the law in force in the country concerned, and

(b) would have constituted an offence listed in Schedule 3 (other than at paragraph 60) if it had been done in any part of the United Kingdom.

(2) An act punishable under the law in force in a country outside the United Kingdom constitutes an offence under that law for the purposes of subsection (1) however it is described in that law.

(3) Subject to subsection (4), on an application for a notification order the condition in subsection (1)(b) is to be taken as met unless, not later than rules of court may provide, the defendant serves on the applicant a notice--

(a) stating that, on the facts as alleged with respect to the act concerned, the condition is not in his opinion met,

(b) showing his grounds for that opinion, and

(4) The court, if it thinks fit, may permit the defendant to require the applicant to prove that the condition is met without service of a notice under subsection (3).

100 Interim notification orders

(1) This section applies where an application for a notification order ("the main application") has not been determined.

(2) An application for an order under this section ("an interim notification order")--

(a) may be made in the complaint containing the main application, or

(b) if the main application has been made, may be made by the person who has made that application, by complaint to the court to which that application has been made.

(3) The court may, if it considers it just to do so, make an interim notification order.

(4) Such an order--

(a) has effect only for a fixed period, specified in the order;

(b) ceases to have effect, if it has not already done so, on the determination of the main application.

(5) While such an order has effect--

(a) the defendant is subject to the notification requirements of this Part;

(b) this Part applies to the defendant, subject to the modification set out in subsection (6).

(6) The "relevant date" means the date of service of the order.

(7) The applicant or the defendant may by complaint apply to the court that made the interim notification order for the order to be varied, renewed or discharged.

101 Notification orders and interim notification orders: appeals

A defendant may appeal to the Crown Court against the making of a notification order or interim notification order.

102 Appeals in relation to notification orders and interim notification orders: Scotland

In Scotland--

(a) an interlocutor granting or refusing a notification order or interim notification order is an appealable interlocutor; and

(b) where an appeal is taken against an interlocutor so granting such an order the order shall, without prejudice to any power of the court to vary or recall it, continue to have effect pending the disposal of the appeal.

103 Sections 97 to 100: Scotland

(1) Sections 97 to 100 apply to Scotland with the following modifications--

(a) references to a chief officer of police and to his police area are to be read, respectively, as references to a chief constable and to the area of his police force;

(b) references to the defendant are to be read as references to the person in respect of whom the order is sought or has effect;

(c) an application for a notification order or interim notification order is made by summary application to any sheriff within whose sheriffdom lies any part of the area of the applicant's police force (references to "the court" being construed accordingly).

(2) A record of evidence shall be kept on any summary application made by virtue of subsection (1)(c) above.

(3) The clerk of the court by which, by virtue of that subsection, a notification order or interim notification order is made, varied, renewed or discharged shall cause a copy of, as the case may be--

(a) the order as so made, varied or renewed; or

(b) the interlocutor by which discharge is effected,

to be given to the person named in the order or sent to him by registered post or by the recorded delivery service (an acknowledgement or certificate of delivery of a copy so sent, issued by the Post Office, being sufficient evidence of the delivery of the copy on the day specified in the acknowledgement or certificate).

Sexual offences prevention orders

104 Sexual offences prevention orders: applications and grounds

(1) A court may make an order under this section in respect of a person ("the defendant") where any of subsections (2) to (4) applies to the defendant and--

(a) where subsection (4) applies, it is satisfied that the defendant's behaviour since the appropriate date makes it necessary to make such an order, for the purpose of protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant;

(b) in any other case, it is satisfied that it is necessary to make such an order, for the purpose of protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant.

(2) This subsection applies to the defendant where the court deals with him in respect of an offence listed in Schedule 3 or 5.

(3) This subsection applies to the defendant where the court deals with him in respect of a finding--

(a) that he is not guilty of an offence listed in Schedule 3 or 5 by reason of insanity, or

(b) that he is under a disability and has done the act charged against him in respect of such an offence.

(4) This subsection applies to the defendant where--

(a) an application under subsection (5) has been made to the court in respect of him, and

(b) on the application, it is proved that he is a qualifying offender.

(5) A chief officer of police may by complaint to a magistrates' court apply for an order under this section in respect of a person who resides in his police area or who the chief officer believes is in, or is intending to come to, his police area if it appears to the chief officer that--

(a) the person is a qualifying offender, and

(b) the person has since the appropriate date acted in such a way as to give reasonable cause to believe that it is necessary for such an order to be made.

(6) An application under subsection (5) may be made to any magistrates' court whose commission area includes--

(a) any part of the applicant's police area, or

(b) any place where it is alleged that the person acted in a way mentioned in subsection (5)(b).

105 SOPOs: further provision as respects Scotland

(1) A chief constable may apply for an order under this section in respect of a person who he believes is in, or is intending to come to, the area of his police force if it appears to the chief constable that--

(a) the person has been convicted of, found not guilty by reason of insanity of or found to be under a disability and to have done the act charged against him in respect of--

(i) an offence listed in paragraph 60 of Schedule 3; or

(ii) before the commencement of this Part, an offence in Scotland other than is mentioned in paragraphs 36 to 59 of that Schedule if the chief constable considers that had the conviction or finding been after such commencement it is likely that a determination such as is mentioned in paragraph 60 would have been made in relation to the offence; and

(b) the person has since the conviction or finding acted in such a way as to give reasonable cause to believe that it is necessary for such an order to be made.

(2) An application under subsection (1) may be made by summary application to a sheriff within whose sheriffdom lies--

(a) any part of the area of the applicant's police force; or

(b) any place where it is alleged that the person acted in a way mentioned in subsection (1)(b).

(3) The sheriff may make the order where satisfied--

(a) that the person's behaviour since the conviction or finding makes it necessary to make such an order, for the purposes of protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the person; and

(b) where the application is by virtue of subsection (1)(a)(ii), that there was a significant sexual aspect to the person's behaviour in committing the offence.

(4) Subsection (3) of section 106 applies for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of section 104 and subsections (2) and (3) of section 112 apply in relation to a summary application made by virtue of subsection (1) as they apply in relation to one made by virtue of subsection (1)(g) of that section.

106 Section 104: supplemental

(1) In this Part, "sexual offences prevention order" means an order under section 104 or 105.

(2) Subsections (3) to (8) apply for the purposes of section 104.

(3) "Protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant" means protecting the public in the United Kingdom or any particular members of that public from serious physical or psychological harm, caused by the defendant committing one or more offences listed in Schedule 3.

(4) Acts, behaviour, convictions and findings include those occurring before the commencement of this Part.

(5) "Qualifying offender" means a person within subsection (6) or (7).

(6) A person is within this subsection if, whether before or after the commencement of this Part, he--

(a) has been convicted of an offence listed in Schedule 3 (other than at paragraph 60) or in Schedule 5,

(b) has been found not guilty of such an offence by reason of insanity,

(c) has been found to be under a disability and to have done the act charged against him in respect of such an offence, or

(d) in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, has been cautioned in respect of such an offence.

(7) A person is within this subsection if, under the law in force in a country outside the United Kingdom and whether before or after the commencement of this Part--

(a) he has been convicted of a relevant offence (whether or not he has been punished for it),

(b) a court exercising jurisdiction under that law has made in respect of a relevant offence a finding equivalent to a finding that he is not guilty by reason of insanity,

(c) such a court has made in respect of a relevant offence a finding equivalent to a finding that he is under a disability and did the act charged against him in respect of the offence, or

(d) he has been cautioned in respect of a relevant offence.

(8) "Appropriate date", in relation to a qualifying offender, means the date or (as the case may be) the first date on which he was convicted, found or cautioned as mentioned in subsection (6) or (7).

(9) In subsection (7), "relevant offence" means an act which--

(a) constituted an offence under the law in force in the country concerned, and

(b) would have constituted an offence listed in Schedule 3 (other than at paragraph 60) or in Schedule 5 if it had been done in any part of the United Kingdom.

(10) An act punishable under the law in force in a country outside the United Kingdom constitutes an offence under that law for the purposes of subsection (9), however it is described in that law.

(11) Subject to subsection (12), on an application under section 104(5) the condition in subsection (9)(b) (where relevant) is to be taken as met unless, not later than rules of court may provide, the defendant serves on the applicant a notice--

(a) stating that, on the facts as alleged with respect to the act concerned, the condition is not in his opinion met,

(b) showing his grounds for that opinion, and

(12) The court, if it thinks fit, may permit the defendant to require the applicant to prove that the condition is met without service of a notice under subsection (11).

107 SOPOs: effect

(1) A sexual offences prevention order--

(a) prohibits the defendant from doing anything described in the order, and

(b) has effect for a fixed period (not less than 5 years) specified in the order or until further order.

(2) The only prohibitions that may be included in the order are those necessary for the purpose of protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant.

(3) Where--

(a) an order is made in respect of a defendant who was a relevant offender immediately before the making of the order, and

(b) the defendant would (apart from this subsection) cease to be subject to the notification requirements of this Part while the order (as renewed from time to time) has effect,

the defendant remains subject to the notification requirements.

(4) Where an order is made in respect of a defendant who was not a relevant offender immediately before the making of the order--

(a) the order causes the defendant to become subject to the notification requirements of this Part from the making of the order until the order (as renewed from time to time) ceases to have effect, and

(b) this Part applies to the defendant, subject to the modification set out in subsection (5).

(5) The "relevant date" is the date of service of the order.

(6) Where a court makes a sexual offences prevention order in relation to a person already subject to such an order (whether made by that court or another), the earlier order ceases to have effect.

(7) Section 106(3) applies for the purposes of this section and section 108.

108 SOPOs: variations, renewals and discharges

(1) A person within subsection (2) may apply to the appropriate court for an order varying, renewing or discharging a sexual offences prevention order.

(2) The persons are--

(a) the defendant;

(b) the chief officer of police for the area in which the defendant resides;

(d) where the order was made on an application under section 104(5), the chief officer of police who made the application.

(3) An application under subsection (1) may be made--

(a) where the appropriate court is the Crown Court, in accordance with rules of court;

(b) in any other case, by complaint.

(4) Subject to subsections (5) and (6), on the application the court, after hearing the person making the application and (if they wish to be heard) the other persons mentioned in subsection (2), may make any order, varying, renewing or discharging the sexual offences prevention order, that the court considers appropriate.

(5) An order may be renewed, or varied so as to impose additional prohibitions on the defendant, only if it is necessary to do so for the purpose of protecting the public or any particular members of the public from serious sexual harm from the defendant (and any renewed or varied order may contain only such prohibitions as are necessary for this purpose).

(6) The court must not discharge an order before the end of 5 years beginning with the day on which the order was made, without the consent of the defendant and--

(a) where the application is made by a chief officer of police, that chief officer, or

(b) in any other case, the chief officer of police for the area in which the defendant resides.

(7) In this section "the appropriate court" means--

(a) where the Crown Court or the Court of Appeal made the sexual offences prevention order, the Crown Court;

(b) where a magistrates' court made the order, that court, a magistrates' court for the area in which the defendant resides or, where the application is made by a chief officer of police, any magistrates' court whose commission area includes any part of the chief officer's police area;

(c) where a youth court made the order, that court, a youth court for the area in which the defendant resides or, where the application is made by a chief officer of police, any youth court whose commission area includes any part of the chief officer's police area.

(8) This section applies to orders under--

(a) section 5A of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (c. 51) (restraining orders),

(b) section 2 or 20 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (c. 37) (sex offender orders made in England and Wales or Scotland), and

(c) Article 6 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2839 (N.I. 20)) (sex offender orders made in Northern Ireland),

as it applies to sexual offences prevention orders.

109 Interim SOPOs

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