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03 May 2023

As of March 30th 2023, there have been some changes in sexual offence law in the UK.

As you might imagine, a lot of these changes are more akin to adaptations, with changes in the language being the emphasis of these new regulations. In particular, two parts of the more modern legislation relating to sexual offences, sexual risk orders and sexual harm prevention orders, have been looked into.

So, if you have been accused of a sexual offence in the UK, you will want a team to defend you who are up to date on these changes and will be able to use them to help you fight your corner.

At ABV Solicitors, our team has extensive knowledge of all the changes being made to the new act, and we will be happy to have our sexual offence solicitor discuss these changes with you, should they be relevant to your case. Thus, if you need a defence solicitor for any offence you have been accused of, call us today!

As regards sexual risk orders; what does the new legislation mean? Our sexual offence solicitor delves into that in a bit more depth below.

What is a sexual risk order?

A sexual risk order is a civil court order that can be issued to individuals who pose a risk of harm to the public, particularly in relation to sexual offending. It can impose restrictions on an individual’s behaviour and require them to disclose personal information or register with authorities. So, if you have had a sexual risk order imposed on you, or you are about to have one, you should contact our sexual offence solicitor for guidance on whether the order is fair and applicable to your case.

What does a sexual risk order do?

In short, it prevents the public from coming to harm.

A sexual risk order can limit an individual’s behaviour in a number of ways, depending on the specific terms of the order. For example, it may require the individual to disclose personal information, such as their address, to the police or probation service. It may also prohibit them from certain activities or places, or require them to attend counselling or treatment programmes, to help them understand why they are engaging in high-risk behaviours, with the aim of having them modified or managed.

Who would have a sexual risk order placed on them?

The new law states that a sexual risk order may be placed on someone if they are deemed to pose a risk of harm to the public, particularly in relation to sexual offending. This may be because they have been convicted of a sexual offence in the past or because they have exhibited behaviours or patterns of behaviour that suggest they may pose a risk of harm in the future.

So, if an order has been placed on you, and you disagree with its limitations, speak to our team.

SROs and children

A sexual risk order may be placed if you have been deemed to be at a high risk of approaching children to engage in inappropriate acts or have already been found to be making plans to do so. What needs to be highlighted is that if you go through with a sexual act with a child, you will still be prosecuted and will likely be subject to an SRO after the penalty for this crime has been determined.

As before, if you require any assistance with understanding an SRO, or challenging it, feel free to call our team at ABV Solicitors today.