Advising Suspects on Sexual Offences at the Police Station - Essential Update

Introduction

Are you confident advising clients facing allegations of sexual offences, whether under arrest or attending voluntarily? With sweeping legislative changes and complex case law, even seasoned practitioners can find themselves on uncertain ground.

This 30-minute webinar dives into the most pressing legal developments affecting police station advice in sexual offence cases. From new crimes introduced by the Online Safety Act 2023 to nuanced interpretations of consent and mental capacity, we’ll unpack the challenges and equip you with practical insights.

What You Will Learn

This short webinar will cover the following:

• The new crimes inserted into the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as a result of the Online Safety Act 2023
• Amendments in this area, including new offences, introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
• Intimate samples and non-intimate samples under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
• Consent explained
• The definition of ‘sexual’
• Consensual but underage sexual activity
• Sexual activity with a person with a mental condition whereby they are likely to be ‘unable to refuse’ where the test for consent is very different
• The position regarding Youths, i.e. those under 17 at the police station
• Notification Requirements under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 - advising on whether or not to accept a caution at the police station stage
• The pros and cons of dealing with these type of offences by means of a ‘no comment’ interview and a prepared statement read out during the interview or at charge
• The sufficiency or otherwise of the evidence against your client when no complainant statement has, as yet, been taken
• The seizure of your client’s clothing by the police for forensic analysis

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Friday 20th March 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 1,900+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.