§ Ms Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men were imprisoned in the United Kingdom in 1985 for consensual homosexual acts with males between the ages of 16 and 21 years; and what were the maximum minimum and average sentences served by such men.
§ Mr. MellorIn England and Wales in 1985, 15 males of, or over, 21 were sentenced to immediate imprisonment for buggery or attempted buggery of a man of, or over 16 but under 21 with his consent. Twenty-two males of, or over the age of 21 were sentenced to immediate imprisonment for an act of gross indencency with a male under the age of 21. The maximum sentence imposed in these cases was five years' imprisonment; the minimum, three months' imprisonment; and the average, 22 months' imprisonment. Similar information is not readily available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.