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This petition was submitted during the 2010-2015 parliament

Petition Custodial option for those who name a rape victim

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We, the undersigned, call on Parliament to amend section 5(1) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 to allow the judiciary the discretion to hand down a sentence of imprisonment (of, say, a year) in cases were the publication of information identifying a victim of a sexual offence (in violation of that Act) occurs; especially were the judge is of the opinion that it occurred both deliberately and with malice, and/or with the aim(s) of discouraging the reporting of sexual offences or punishing the victims of such offences.

Whilst one presumes, in some such cases, that the option of prosecuting the publisher additionally for contempt of court, malicious communications (Communications Act 2003 s.127), harassment or (psychological) ABH might be available (allowing such a custodial sentence), prosecutors have not done so (presumably because of the complexity of proving such offences).

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

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