Meeting a Child Following Sexual Grooming (Section 15 Sexual Offences Act 2003)

Meeting a Child Following Sexual Grooming is an offence under s.15 Sexual Offences Act 2003. A person aged 18 or over (A) commits the offence if A has met or communicated with another person (B) on one or more occasions and subsequently A intentionally meets B, or travels with the intention of meeting B or arranges to meet B in any part of the world, or B travels with the intention of meeting A in any part of the world; A intends to do anything to or in respect of B, during or after the meeting and in any part of the world, which if done will involve the commission by A of a relevant offence; B is under 16; and A does not reasonably believe that B is 16 or over (s.15(1)). A relevant offence means an offence under Part 1 of the Act, or anything done outside England and Wales which would be such an offence if done in England and Wales (s.15(2)(b)). Maximum sentence: on summary conviction, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both; on conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years (s.15(4)).

In practice

This is an either-way offence: it may be tried at the magistrates' court or the Crown Court. Mode of trial depends on the seriousness and the defendant's election. All suspects must be interviewed by officers trained in sexual offence investigation. Disclosure must be handled in accordance with the Attorney General's Guidelines. Consider a Sexual Harm Prevention Order application. The suspect must be cautioned in accordance with Code C PACE 1984 before any questions about the offence are put to them. Interviews must be audio-recorded (Code E) or, for indictable offences, may be visually recorded (Code F).