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Sexual Offences

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 updated the law, much of which dated back to 1956.

The main provisions of the Act include the following:

  • Rape is widened to include oral penetration
  • Significant changes to the issue of consent
  • Specific offences relating to children under 13, 16 and 18
  • Offences to protect vulnerable persons with a mental disorder
  • Other miscellaneous offences
  • Strengthening the notification requirements and providing new civil preventative orders

Find out more about how we prosecute sexual offences

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Home » News Centre » Articles » Memorandum of Understanding between the CPS and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) concerning Section 46 Sexual Offences Act 2003

Memorandum of Understanding between the CPS and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) concerning Section 46 Sexual Offences Act 2003

15/10/2004

We are pleased to publish this Memorandum of Understanding between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) concerning Section 46 Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers have developed this Memorandum of Understanding. Both signatory organisations recognise the need for investigating and prosecuting authorities to work together and to share information and best practice. We acknowledge that those professionally involved in the management, operation or use of electronic communications networks and services need to be re-assured of protection where they are acting to combat the creation and distribution of images of child abuse.

This Memorandum of Understanding has been drafted to be in accordance with domestic and European law. We encourage Chief Crown Prosecutors and Chief Officers of Police to adopt this Memorandum. We believe that this Memorandum will encourage better understanding, closer working relationships and greater consistency between those involved in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. We also believe that its introduction will help ensure the signatory organisations work in partnership for the benefit and protection of children to improve public confidence in the criminal justice system.

 

Signed

Ken Macdonald QC, Director of Public Prosecutions

06/10/2004

Signed

Chris Fox, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers

04/10/2004

The protocol can be read in full on our web site. This is a Adobe Acrobat PDF file.