Clause 1 - Rape
Sexual Offences Bill [Lords]
9:10 am
Mr Stephen Hesford (Wirral West, Labour)
Is the hon. Gentleman not answering his own question? I strongly suggest that we do not revisit the old offences. Is not Parliament trying to give a message to the courts that whatever form of unlawful sexual activity takes place, it considers the gravity to be the same so there should be a similarity of sentencing? If a court wants to take a different view of the facts of any individual case, that is for the court to decide. We as a Parliament should send out the message that the courts should be under no illusion that we do not consider all these acts to have similar gravity.