A man from the British city of York has been told by police he must inform them 24 hours before he has sexual activity or face being jailed for up to five years, despite not having been convicted of a sexual offence.
Under the terms of the interim sexual risk order made earlier this week, the man — who cannot be named for legal reasons — is not only banned from secret sexual activity in person, his internet use is also limited and he has to inform the police about every telephone or other device he has for accessing the internet, making calls or sending texts, reports The York Press.
If the man in question seeks wants to pursue a sexual relationship of any kind with a woman, or just one-off sexual activity with any woman, he must first tell North Yorkshire Police (or any other local force if he moves during the term of of the order) the identity of his intended partner at least 24 hours before anything occurs.
The conditions set out by the interim sexual risk order against the man continue until 19 May when magistrates in York will be deciding whether or not to make a full order, and if so for how long. Full sexual risk orders last for a minimum of two years but have no maximum duration.
Although sexual risk orders can be imposed on people who have neither been convicted of an offence nor even cautioned by officers, they are made when police are able to convince a court of the need to protect the wider public through the monitoring and restricting of their activities. Breaching such an order can result in up to five years in prison.
When the then Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green MP announced the law in October 2013, he said that it was part of a campaign to “tighten the law on sex offenders and make it easier for police to monitor them.” Some campaigners criticised the law’s breadth and intrusiveness.
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