Criminal Law Amendment Act 1922
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1922 c. 56 |
Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1922
(12 & 13 Geo. 5.) CHAPTER 56.
An Act to amend the law with respect to offences against persons under the age of sixteen, and with respect to penalties under section thirteen of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885, and to repeal section five of the Punishment of Incest Act, 1908.
[4th August 1922]
B E it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Consent of young person to be no defence.
1. It shall be no defence to a charge or indictment for an indecent assault on a child or young person under the age of sixteen to prove that he or she consented to the act of indecency.
2 Amendment of ss. 5 and 6 of 48 & 49 Vict. c. 69 as to defence of reasonable belief.
2. Reasonable cause to believe that a girl was of or above the age of sixteen years shall not be a defence to a charge under sections five or six of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885(in this Act referred to as the principal Act). The limit of time mentioned in the second proviso to section five of the principal Act, as amended by section twenty-seven of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, 1904, shall be nine months after the commission of the offence: Provided that in the case of a man of twenty-three years of age or under the presence of reasonable cause to believe that the girl was over the age of sixteen years shall be a valid defence on the first occasion on which he is charged with an offence under this section.
3 Amendment of penalties under s. 13 of principal Act.
3. Any person who is convicted of an offence against section thirteen of the principal Act (which relates to summary proceedings against brothel keepers, &c.) shall be liable on summary conviction—
or, in any such case, to both fine and imprisonment.
4 Application to Scotland.
4. In the application of this Act to Scotland—
(1) The following provision shall be...
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