Clause 7 - Assault of a child under 13 by penetration
Sexual Offences Bill [Lords]
9:45 am
Mr Paul Goggins (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Wythenshawe and Sale East, Labour)
In the spirit of the hon. Gentleman's conciliatory approach, I am happy to confirm his understanding of what I said. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration said in Committee on Tuesday, in cases in which the evidence clearly indicates that non-consensual penile penetration took place, we would expect a charge of rape. If there has not been penile penetration the charge would not be one of rape. In cases where there is some doubt and where, in the course of a case, it emerges that there was penile penetration, we would not want the accused to walk out of court scot-free. That is the territory and our aim is to provide clarity.