Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006
Number 15 of 2006
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 2006
REVISED
Updated to 22 December 2022
This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.
All Acts up to and including Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 (52/2022), enacted 21 December 2022, and all statutory instruments up to and including European Union (Restrictive Measures Concerning Libya) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 742 of 2022), made 22 December 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to
revisedacts@lawreform.ie.
Number 15 of 2006
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 2006
REVISED
Updated to 22 December 2022
Introduction
This Revised Act presents the text of the Act as it has been amended since enactment, and preserves the format in which it was first passed.
Related legislation
This Act is not collectively cited with any other Act.
Annotations
This Revised Act is annotated and includes textual and non-textual amendments, statutory instruments made pursuant to the Act and previous affecting provisions. A version without annotations, showing only textual amendments, is also available.
An explanation of how to read annotations is available at
www.lawreform.ie/annotations
Material not updated in this revision
Where other legislation is amended by this Act, those amendments may have been superseded by other amendments in other legislation, or the amended legislation may have been repealed or revoked. This information is not represented in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the amended legislation if one is available.
Where legislation or a fragment of legislation is referred to in annotations, changes to this legislation or fragment may not be reflected in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the legislation referred to if one is available.
A list of legislative changes to any Act, and to statutory instruments from 1972, may be found linked from the page of the Act or statutory instrument at
www.irishstatutebook.ie.
Acts which affect or previously affected this revision
• Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (2/2017)
• Taxi Regulation Act 2013 (37/2013)
• Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (24/2012)
• Criminal Procedure Act 2010 (27/2010)
• Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 (14/2008)
• Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 (8/2008)
• Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007 (6/2007)
• Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (32/1995)
• Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 (20/1993)
• Criminal Evidence Act 1992 (12/1992)
All Acts up to and including Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 (52/2022), enacted 21 December 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Statutory instruments which affect or previously affected this revision
• None
All statutory instruments up to and including European Union (Restrictive Measures Concerning Libya) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 742 of 2022), made 22 December 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.
Number 15 of 2006
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 2006
REVISED
Updated to 22 December 2022
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
2. Defilement of child under 15 years of age.
3. Defilement of child under 17 years of age.
3A. Offence by person in authority.
5. Female child under 17 years of age not guilty of offence.
6. Application of certain enactments.
7. Amendment of certain enactments.
Enactments Repealed
Acts Referred to
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1997, No. 16 |
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2001, No. 24 |
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1992, No. 12 |
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1990, No. 32 |
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1981, No. 10 |
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1993, No. 20 |
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1997, No. 14 |
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1935, No. 6 |
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2001, No. 18 |
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1996, No. 38 |
Number 15 of 2006
CRIMINAL LAW (SEXUAL OFFENCES) ACT 2006
REVISED
Updated to 22 December 2022
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR OFFENCES IN RELATION TO THE COMMISSION OF SEXUAL ACTS WITH CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 17 YEARS; AND TO PROVIDE FOR MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH.
[2nd June, 2006]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:
Annotations
Editorial Notes:
E1
Offences under Act included in definition of “sexual offence” in Criminal Evidence Act 1992 (12/1992), s. 2, (7.06.2008) by Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 (8/2008), s. 12(a)(ii), commenced as per s. 15(2).
E2
Entitlement of complainant to free legal advice in a prosecution for an offence under Act provided by Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 (32/1995), s. 26(3)(b), as amended (7.03.2007) by Criminal Law (Sexual Offences)(Amendment) Act 2007 (6/2007), s. 3(4), commenced on enactment, and subsequently amended (20.07.2008) by Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 (14/2008), s. 78(b), S.I. No. 274 of 2008.