Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

A new criminal offence would be created for sharing, publishing, or even threatening to share intimate images without consent, especially where it is meant to cause harm or is reckless about causing harm. The law would also make it an offence to send threatening or grossly offensive messages with the intent to hurt someone, strengthen harassment laws to cover repeated contact about a person as well as direct contact, and increase the maximum penalty for serious harassment. Victims of intimate-image offences would be kept anonymous, and judges could also make civil restraint orders to stop contact or approach.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to amend the law relating to harassment; to provide for offences relating to the recording, distribution or publication of intimate images and to provide for the anonymity of victims of those offences; to provide for an offence involving the distribution, publication or sending of threatening or grossly offensive communication; and for those and other purposes to amend the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997, the Bail Act 1997 and the Domestic Violence Act 2018; and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 22 January 2021