Criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Criminal law - Essay ExampleHowever, if the child victim is quondam(a) than 13 but younger than 16 a suspect can raise the defence that the child consented to the intimate activity and he or she sensibly believed that said child was at least 16 years of age.1 Critics of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 argue that the Act goes too far by criminalizing legitimate sexual activities of children closer to age 16 and is far too strict on those who are mistaken about the childs age. This paper examines the reality of this stick by dissecting the manner in which the criminal justice system approaches cases in which offences relating to children are interpreted and disposed of.The offences contained in Section 9-12 include sexual assault, inciting children to restrain in any form of sexual activity or forcing a child to watch sexual activities. Alarmingly, sexual activity with a child is delimit by Section 9 as the intentional touching of a nonher person and that other person is under the a ge of 16 and the person does not reasonably believe the other person to be over the age of 16.3 The act of touching might conceivably be interpreted as sexual in nature and is a matter of fact for a jury to decide.4In an article published in BBCs online magazine, Giles Wilson questioned the propriety of the laws role in the age of modern sexual activity among teens. By and large, Wilson argues, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 criminalizes teen age kissing.5 Angela Phillips refers to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as the child trap adding that it isWhen the augury of Commons debated the Sexual Offences Bill a number of Representatives took issue with Section 13 as it stood, fearing that it had the impact of criminalizing what could only be described as usual activities between adolescents. In fact, Member of Parliament and Liberal Democrat Womens Issues Spokesperson, Sandra Gidley saidAlthough I welcome the approach to