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Sexual Offences Act 1985

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This is the original version (as it was originally enacted).

Supplementary

4Interpretation

(1)References in this Act to a man soliciting a woman for the purpose of prostitution are references to his soliciting her for the purpose of obtaining her services as a prostitute.

(2)The use in any provision of this Act of the word " man " without the addition of the word " boy " shall not prevent the provision applying to any person to whom it would have applied if both words had been used, and similarly with the words " woman " and " girl ".

(3)Paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 6 of the [1978 c. 30.] Interpretation Act 1978 (words importing the masculine gender to include the feminine, and vice versa) do not apply to this Act.

(4)For the purposes of this Act " street" includes any bridge, road, lane, footway, subway, square, court, alley or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not, which is for the time being open to the public; and the doorways and entrances of premises abutting on a street (as hereinbefore defined), and any ground adjoining and open to a street, shall be treated as forming part of the street.

5Short title, commencement, etc.

(1)This Act may be cited as the Sexual Offences Act 1985.

(2)In section 2(1) of the [1960 c. 33.] Indecency with Children Act 1960, for the words from " or of " onwards there shall be substituted " shall be seven years. ".

(3)The enactments mentioned in the Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule.

(4)This Act shall come into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which it is passed.

(5)Nothing in this Act shall apply in relation to any offence committed or act done before this Act comes into force.

(6)In relation to anything done in any area at a time when section 3 of the [1985 c. 23.] Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (conduct of criminal proceedings by Director of Public Prosecutions) is not in force there, section 1(1) above shall have effect as if all the words after " persistently " were omitted.

(7)This Act extends to England and Wales only.

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