MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (043/08) issued by The Government News Network on 28
May 2008
All images of
child sexual abuse, including drawings and computer-generated
images of child abuse will be illegal and offenders holding such
images will face criminal charges and up to three years in prison
under new proposals announced by Justice Minister Maria Eagle today.
The proposals were announced as part of the Government's
response to a public consultation on the possession of
non-photographic visual depictions of under-aged children engaged
in sexual activity. It acknowledges the view that paedophiles
could be circumventing the law by using computer technology to
manipulate real photographs or videos of abuse into drawings or cartoons.
Commenting, Maria Eagle, Parliamentary under Secretary of State
for Justice, said:
"These new proposals will help close a loophole that we
believe paedophiles are using to create images of child sexual abuse.
"This is not about criminalising art or pornographic
cartoons more generally, but about targeting obscene, and often
very realistic, images of child sexual abuse which have no place
in our society."
The distribution or sale of material is currently illegal under
the Obscene Publications Act, and possession of photos of child
pornography is unlawful, but it is not yet a criminal offence to
possess drawings and computer generated images of child abuse. The
proposals announced today will create a new criminal offence to
possess drawings and computer-generated images of under-aged
children in sexual activity.
Notes to Editors
1. The Consultation on the Possession of Non-Photographic Visual
Depictions of Child Sexual Abuse was launched by the Home Office
on 2nd April 2007 and closed on 22nd June 2007. Government
responses to the Consultation are published on 28th May 2008 at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications
http://www.justice.gov.uk