đ Legal text
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2019
Skip to content
Disclaimer
Feedback
Helpdesk
Gaeilge
Léim go dtà an t-åbhar
Séanadh
Aiseolas
Deasc chabhrach
English
Gaeilge
English
Produced by the Office of the Attorney General
TĂĄirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne
Home
Legislation
Acts of the Oireachtas
Statutory Instruments
Pre-1922 Legislation
Constitution
External Resources
Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas)
Iris OifigiĂșil / Official Gazette
Revised Acts (LRC)
Classified List of Legislation (LRC)
Translations (acts.ie)
Translations (Houses of the Oireachtas)
Government Publications for Sale
EU Law (EUR-Lex)
FAQ
Disclaimer
Feedback
Helpdesk
Search
Baile
ReachtaĂocht
Achtanna an Oireachtais
IonstraimĂ ReachtĂșla
ReachtaĂocht RĂ©amh-1922
Bunreacht
AcmhainnĂ Seachtracha
BillĂ (Tithe an Oireachtais)
Iris OifigiĂșil
Achtanna Athbhreithnithe (CAD) (An CoimisiĂșn um AthchĂłiriĂș an DlĂ)
Liosta Rangaithe ReachtaĂochta
AistriĂșchĂĄin (achtanna.ie)
AistriĂșchĂĄin (Tithe an Oireachtais)
FoilseachĂĄin Rialtais ar DĂol
DlĂ AE (EUR-Lex)
CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta)
Séanadh
Aiseolas
Deasc chabhrach
Cuardach
TitleTeideal
Year(s) or rangeBliain nĂł blianta nĂł raon
TypeCineĂĄl
All Legislation
Acts
Statutory Instruments
Advanced SearchCuardach Casta
HomeBaile
ActsAchtanna
2019
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2019
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2019
Permanent
Page URL
View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt
View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht IomlĂĄn
Bill History
Stair Bille
Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act
Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRà arna ndéanamh faoin Acht
Open PDFOscail PDF
Print Full ActPriontĂĄil an tAcht IomlĂĄn
Number 4 of 2019
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) (AMENDMENT) ACT 2019
CONTENTS
1. Definitions
2. Amendment of section 1 of Act of 1908
3. Amendment of section 2 of Act of 1908
4. Amendment of Act of 2017
5. Offences for purposes of section 58 of Act of 2017
6. Short title and commencement
Acts Referred to
Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998
(No. 22)
Children Act 2001
(No. 24)
Criminal Justice Act 1951
(No. 2)
Criminal Justice Act 1960
(No. 27)
Criminal Justice Act 1993
(No. 6)
Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008
(No. 8)
Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990
(No. 32)
Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981
(No. 10)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006
(No. 15)
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017
(No. 2)
Prisons Act 1970
(No. 11)
Prisons Act 1972
(No. 7)
Punishment of Incest Act 1908
(8 Edw. 7 c.45)
Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996
(No. 38)
Number 4 of 2019
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) (AMENDMENT) ACT 2019
An Act to amend the
Punishment of Incest Act 1908
and the
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017
; and to provide for related matters.
[26th February , 2019]
Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:
Definitions
1. In this Actâ
âAct of 1908â means the
Punishment of Incest Act 1908
;
âAct of 2017â means the
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017
.
Amendment of section 1 of Act of 1908
2. Section 1 (as amended by section 28 of the Act of 2017) of the Act of 1908 is amended in subsection (1) by the substitution of âimprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 yearsâ for âimprisonment for life or a lesser term of imprisonmentâ.
Amendment of section 2 of Act of 1908
3. The Act of 1908 is amended by the substitution of the following section for section 2:
â2. Any female person of or above the age of 17 years, who with consent permits her grandfather, father, brother or son to have carnal knowledge of her (knowing him to be her grandfather, father, brother or son, as the case may be), shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.â.
Amendment of Act of 2017
4. The Act of 2017 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 57:
âCommission of another offence specified in Schedule within specified period
58. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), where a person (other than a person under the age of 18 years)â
(a) has been convicted on indictment of an offence specified in the Schedule (in this section referred to as âthe first offenceâ),
(b) has been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than 5 years in respect of that offence, and
(c) is convicted on indictment of an offence specified in the Schedule (in this section referred to as âthe subsequent offenceâ) that is committedâ
(i) during the period of 10 years from the date of conviction of the first offence and, for the purpose of determining that period, there shall be disregarded any period of imprisonment in respect of the first offence or the subsequent offence, or
(ii) during any such period of imprisonment,
(in this section the total period comprising the periods referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) is referred to as âthe specified periodâ),
the court shall, in imposing sentence on the person in respect of the subsequent offence, specify as the minimum term of imprisonment to be served by the person a term of not less than three quarters of the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed by law in respect of such an offence and, if the maximum term so prescribed is life imprisonment, the court shall specify a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years.
(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply where the court is satisfied that it would be disproportionate in all the circumstances of the case to specify as the minimum term of imprisonment to be served by the person concerned the term of imprisonment referred to in that subsection in respect of the subsequent offence.
(3) Subsection (1) shall apply to a person in respect of the subsequent offence only if that offence is committed after the commencement of this section and that subsection shall apply to a person whether the first offence is committed before or after such commencement.
(4) If, in relation to a sentence of a term of imprisonment imposed on a person in respect of the first offenceâ
(a) the operation of the whole term is suspended, then subsection (1) shall not apply to that offence, or
(b) the operation of a part of the term is suspended, the part of that term the operation of which is not suspended shall be regarded as the term of imprisonment imposed on the person in respect of the first offence for the purposes of subsection (1).
(5) Subsection (1) shall not apply to a person if the conviction in respect of the first offence is quashed on appeal or otherwise.
(6) A reference in this section to a sentence imposed on a person in respect of the first offence shallâ
(a) if the sentence is varied on appeal, be construed as a reference to the sentence as so varied, or
(b) if, on the application of the Director of Public Prosecutions under
section 2
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1993
, the sentence is quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal or the Court of Appeal, as the case may be, and another sentence is imposed in place of it by that Court on the person, be construed as a reference to that other sentence.
(7) For the purposes of subsections (1)(c) and (9), a period of imprisonment means any time when the person concerned isâ
(a) remanded in custody,
(b) serving a sentence in prison, or
(c) temporarily released under
section 2
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1960
.
(8) References in this section to the subsequent offence shall include references to a second or subsequent offence specified in the Schedule of which a person (other than a person under the age of 18 years) is convicted on indictment during the specified period.
(9) The specified period in relation to a person to whom subsection (1) applies shall expire only when the person has not been convicted of an offence specified in the Scheduleâ
(a) during the period of 10 years from the date of conviction of the subsequent offence and, for the purpose of determining that period, there shall be disregarded any period of imprisonment in respect of the first offence or the subsequent offence, or
(b) during any such period of imprisonment.
(10) If, following the application of subsection (1) to a person in respect of a conviction on indictment of an offence specified in the Scheduleâ
(a) his or her conviction in respect of the first offence is quashed on appeal or otherwise, or
(b) the sentence imposed on the person in respect of the first offence is varied on appeal so that it no longer falls under subsection (1)(b),
the person may apply to the court that imposed the sentence on him or her in respect of the subsequent offence to review it and the court may, if it considers it appropriate to do so, vary that sentence.
(11) (a) If a sentence imposed on a person in respect of a conviction on indictment of an offence specified in the Schedule does not fall under subsection (1)(b) but the sentence isâ
(i) varied on appeal, or
(ii) on the application of the Director of Public Prosecutions under
section 2
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1993
, quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal or the Court of Appeal, as the case may be, and another sentence is imposed in place of it by that Court on the person,
so that the sentence then falls under subsection (1)(b), subsection (1) shall apply in respect of an offence specified in the Schedule (âthe subsequent offenceâ) committed by the person within the specified period.
(b) If, in the circumstances referred to in paragraph (a), a sentence has, at the time of the appeal referred to in subparagraph (i) of that paragraph or, as the case may be, the application referred to in subparagraph (ii) of that paragraph, been imposed on the person concerned in respect of the subsequent offence, the Director of Public Prosecutions may apply to the court that imposed the sentence to review it and the court shall apply subsection (1) to that person in respect of the subsequent offence and, if appropriate, vary the sentence accordingly.
(12) The power conferred by
section 23
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1951
to commute or remit a punishment shall not, in the case of a person serving a sentence of imprisonment imposed in accordance with subsection (1) in respect of the subsequent offence, be exercised before the expiry of the minimum term of imprisonment specified by the court in accordance with that subsection less any reduction of that term arising under subsection (13).
(13) The rules or practice whereby prisoners generally may earn remission of sentence by industry and good conduct shall apply in the case of a person serving a sentence imposed in accordance with subsection (1) in respect of the subsequent offence and the minimum term of imprisonment specified by the court in accordance with that subsection shall be reduced by the amount of any remission so earned by the person.
(14) Any power conferred by
section 2
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1960
to release temporarily a person serving a sentence of imprisonment shall not, in the case of a person serving a sentence imposed in accordance with subsection (1) in respect of the subsequent offence, be exercised during the period for which the commutation or remission of his or her punishment is prohibited by subsection (12) unless for grave reason of a humanitarian nature, and any release so granted shall be only of such limited duration as is justified by that reason.
(15) The reference in subsection (14) to
section 2
of the
Criminal Justice Act 1960
shall be construed to include that section as applied by
section 4
of the
Prisons Act 1970
.
(16) References in this section to an offence specified in the Schedule shall includeâ
(a) references to participation as an accomplice of a person who commits such an offence, and
(b) references to an offence of attempting or conspiring to commit, or inciting the commission of, such an offence.
(17) In this section âimprisonmentâ includesâ
(a) detention in a place provided under
section 2
of the
Prisons Act 1970
, and
(b) detention in a place specified under
section 3
of the
Prisons Act 1972
,
and âprisonâ and âsentence of imprisonmentâ shall be construed accordingly.â.
Offences for purposes of section 58 of Act of 2017
5. The Act of 2017 is amended by the insertion of the following Schedule after section 58 (inserted by section 4):
âSCHEDULE
section 58
Offences for the purposes of section 58
1. An offence under
section 1
of the
Punishment of Incest Act 1908
(incest by males).
2. An offence under
section 2
of the
Punishment of Incest Act 1908
(incest by females of or over the age of 17 years).
3. A rape offence within the meaning of
section 1
of the
Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981
.
4. An offence under any of the following provisions of the
Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990
:
(a) section 2 (sexual assault);
(b) section 3 (aggravated sexual assault);
(c) section 4 (rape under section 4 of that Act).
5. An offence under any of the following provisions of the
Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996
:
(a) section 2 (sexual offences committed outside the State);
(b) section 3 (offence of transporting person for purpose of enabling offence to which section 2(1) of that Act relates to be committed);
(c) section 4 (offence of publishing information likely to promote etc. commission of offence to which section 2(1) of that Act relates).
6. An offence under any of the following provisions of the
Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998
:
(a) section 3 (child trafficking and taking, etc., child for sexual exploitation);
(b) section 4 (allowing child to be used for child pornography);
(c) section 4A (organising etc. child prostitution or production of child pornography);
(d) section 5 (producing, distributing, etc. child pornography);
(e) section 5A (participation of child in pornographic performance);
(f) section 6 (possession of child pornography).
7. An offence under
section 249
of the
Children Act 2001
(causing or encouraging sexual offence upon a child).
8. An offence under any of the following provisions of the
Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006
:
(a) section 2 (defilement of child under 15 years of age);
(b) section 3 (defilement of child under 17 years of age);
(c) section 3A (offence by person in authority).
9. An offence under
section 5
of the
Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008
(soliciting or importuning for purposes of prostitution of trafficked person).
10. An offence under any of the following provisions of this Act:
(a) section 3 (obtaining, providing etc. a child for purpose of sexual exploitation);
(b) section 4 (invitation etc. to sexual touching);
(c) section 5 (sexual activity in presence of child);
(d) section 6 (causing child to watch sexual activity);
(e) section 7 (meeting child for purpose of sexual exploitation);
(f) section 8 (use of information and communication technology to facilitate sexual exploitation of child);
(g) section 21 (sexual act with protected person);
(h) section 22 (offence against relevant person by person in authority).â.
Short title and commencement
6. (1) This Act may be cited as the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2019.
(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister for Justice and Equality may appoint by order or orders either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision, and different days may be so appointed for different purposes or different provisions.
Privacy Statement
Accessibility
European Legislation Identifier (PDF)
Open Data License
RĂĄiteas PrĂobhĂĄideachais
Inrochtaineacht
AitheantĂłir Eorpach ReachtaĂochta (ELI)
CeadĂșnas SonraĂ Oscailte
Liosta FianĂĄn
© Government of Ireland. Oireachtas Copyright Material is reproduced with the permission of the Houses of the Oireachtas
© Rialtas na hĂireann. AtĂĄirgtear ĂĄbhar faoi ChĂłipcheart le cead Ăł Thithe an Oireachtais
AI explanation based on the official legal text. Indicative, not a substitute for legal advice.