Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006
F5[Offence by person in authority
3A. (1) A person in authority who engages in a sexual act with a child who has attained the age of 17 years but is under the age of 18 years shall be guilty of an offence.
(2) A person who attempts to commit an offence under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence.
(3) It shall be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that he or she was reasonably mistaken that, at the time of the alleged commission of the offence, the child against whom the offence is alleged to have been committed had attained the age of 18 years.
(4) Where, in proceedings for an offence under this section, it falls to the court to consider whether the defendant was reasonably mistaken that, at the time of the alleged commission of the offence, the child against whom the offence is alleged to have been committed had attained the age of 18 years, the court shall consider whether, in all the circumstances of the case, a reasonable person would have concluded that the child had attained that age.
(5) The standard of proof required to prove that the defendant was reasonably mistaken that the child had attained the age of 18 years shall be that applicable to civil proceedings.
(6) It shall be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that he or she was not a person in authority in relation to the child against whom the offence is alleged to have been committed.
(7) It shall not be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that the child against whom the offence is alleged to have been committed consented to the sexual act of which the offence consisted.
(8) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.]
Annotations
Amendments:
F5
Inserted (27.03.2017) by Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (2/2017), s. 18, S.I. No. 112 of 2017.
Modifications (not altering text):
C3
Application of section extended (27.03.2017) by Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (2/2017), s. 42, S.I. No. 112 of 2017.
Jurisdiction
42. (1) Where a person who is an Irish citizen or ordinarily resident in the State does an act against a child in a place other than the State that, if done in the State, would constitute rape, sexual assault, an offence under section 4A, 5(1)(a) or 5A(1) of the Act of 1998, or an offence under section 2, 3 or 3A of the Act of 2006, he or she shall be guilty of that offence.
(2) Where a person conspires with, or incites, in the State, another person to do an act against a child in a place other than the State that, if done in the State, would constitute rape, sexual assault, an offence under section 4A, 5(1)(a) or 5A(1) of the Act of 1998, or an offence under section 2, 3 or 3A of the Act of 2006, he or she shall be guilty of an offence.
(3) Where a person who is an Irish citizen or ordinarily resident in the State conspires with, or incites, in a place other than the State, another person to do an act against a child in a place other than the State that, if done in the State, would constitute rape, sexual assault, an offence under section 4A, 5(1)(a) or 5A(1) of the Act of 1998, or an offence under section 2, 3 or 3A of the Act of 2006, he or she shall be guilty of an offence.
(4) Where a person attempts to commit an offence under subsection (2) or (3), he or she shall be guilty of an offence.
(5) A person found guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on conviction to the penalty to which he or she would have been liable had the act that constituted the offence been done in the State.
(6) For the purposes of this section a person shall be deemed to be ordinarily resident in the State if—
(a) he or she has had his or her principal residence in the State for the period of 12 months immediately preceding the alleged commission of the offence,
(b) it is a company formed and registered under the Companies Act 2014 or an existing company within the meaning of that Act, or
(c) in the case of any other body corporate, it is established under the law of the State.
Editorial Notes:
E17
Offence under section is a relevant offence which is an extended confiscation offence as provided by Criminal Justice Act 1994 (15/1994), s. 3 and sch. 1A part 2 as inserted (28.11.2017) by European Union (Freezing and Confiscation of Instrumentalities and Proceeds of Crime) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 540 of 2017), reg. 18.
E18
The section heading is taken from the amending section in the absence of one included in the amendment.