PART 6 N.I.MISCELLANEOUS SEXUAL OFFENCES

Other offencesN.I.

[F1Sending etc an unwanted sexual imageN.I.

72A.—(1) A person (A) commits an offence if—

(a)A intentionally sends or gives to another person (B) a sexual image,

(b)A does so—

(i)without B’s consent, and

(ii)without reasonably believing that B consents, and

(c)either condition 1 or condition 2 is met.

(2) Condition 1 is that A intends that B will look at the image and that doing so will cause humiliation, alarm or distress to B.

(3) Condition 2 is that—

(a)A’s purpose in sending or giving the image is to obtain sexual gratification, and

(b)A is reckless as to whether B is humiliated, alarmed or distressed.

(4) For the purposes of this Article, a sexual image is a photograph or film of—

(a)any person engaging in a sexual activity, or

(b)any person’s genitals.

(5) In paragraph (4)—

“photograph” includes the negative as well as the positive version;

“film” means a moving image.

(6) References to a photograph or film also include—

(a)an image, whether made by computer graphics or in any other way, which appears to be a photograph or film,

(b)a copy of a photograph, film or image within sub-paragraph (a), and

(c)data stored by any means which is capable of conversion into a photograph, film or image within sub-paragraph (a).

(7) References to sending or giving such a photograph or film to another person include, in particular—

(a)sending it to another person by any means, electronically or otherwise,

(b)showing it to another person, and

(c)placing it for a particular person to find.

(8) A person guilty of an offence under this Article 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 2 years.]