Sexual Offences Act 1993
Encyclopedia
The Sexual Offences Act 1993 (c.30) is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
that abolished the presumption that a boy under the age of fourteen is incapable of sexual intercourse. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003
, if a boy under the age of fourteen intentionally penetrates a woman's vagina with his penis without her consent, he is guilty of rape
. Prior to the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1993, and under the former Sexual Offences Act 1956
, the boy would have been presumed physically incapable of penantrating the woman's vagina with his penis, and could not have been considered guilty of rape.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
that abolished the presumption that a boy under the age of fourteen is incapable of sexual intercourse. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Sexual Offences Act 2003
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland that was passed in 2003 and became law on 1 May 2004.It replaced older sexual offences laws with more specific and explicit wording...
, if a boy under the age of fourteen intentionally penetrates a woman's vagina with his penis without her consent, he is guilty of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. Prior to the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1993, and under the former Sexual Offences Act 1956
Sexual Offences Act 1956
The Sexual Offences Act 1956 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated the English criminal law relating to sexual offences between 1957 and 2004. It was mostly repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which replaced it, but sections 33 to 37 still survive. The 2003 Act...
, the boy would have been presumed physically incapable of penantrating the woman's vagina with his penis, and could not have been considered guilty of rape.