24Communicating indecently with a young child etc.
(1)If a person (“A”), intentionally and for a purpose mentioned in subsection (3)—
(a)sends, by whatever means, a sexual written communication to, or
(b)directs, by whatever means, a sexual verbal communication at,
a child (“B”) who has not attained the age of 13 years, then A commits an offence, to be known as the offence of communicating indecently with a young child.
(2)If, in circumstances other than are as mentioned in subsection (1), a person (“A”), intentionally and for a purpose mentioned in subsection (3) causes a child (“B”) who has not attained the age of 13 years to see or hear, by whatever means, a sexual written communication or sexual verbal communication, then A commits an offence, to be known as the offence of causing a young child to see or hear an indecent communication.
(3)The purposes are—
(a)obtaining sexual gratification,
(b)humiliating, distressing or alarming B.
(4)In this section—
“written communication” means a communication in whatever written form, and without prejudice to that generality includes a communication which comprises writings of a person other than A (as for example a passage in a book or magazine), and
“verbal communication” means a communication in whatever verbal form, and without prejudice to that generality includes—
(a)a communication which comprises sounds of sexual activity (whether actual or simulated), and
(b)a communication by means of sign language.