HC Deb 18 January 1988 vol 145 cc199-200W
Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many men aged between 16 and 21 years were(a) prosecuted, (b) convicted and (c) imprisoned for consensual sexual acts with other males aged 16 to 21 years in each of the years 1986 and 1987; and in the case of those imprisoned, what were the maximum, minimum and average sentences served by such men;

(2) how many men were imprisoned in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1986 and 1987 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. John Patten

The available information, which may be incomplete, is given in the following table. This information relates to cases where the victim was aged 16 or over and it is not possible from the information held centrally to isolate cases where the victim was aged 16–20. Comparable information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is not readily available.

Males proceeded against for consensual homosexual acts1 England and Wales
Year
1986 1987
Offenders aged 16–20
Proceeded against 26 41
Found guilty 21 35
Sentenced to custody 21 31
Offenders aged 21 and over
Sentenced to custody 34 32
Maximum sentence imposed 4 years 5 years
Minimum sentence imposed 2 months 3 months
Average sentence imposed 18.8 months 18.3 months
1 Buggery or attempted buggery with a male person aged 16 or over with consent; indecency between males.
2 One month youth custody.
3 One year youth custody.

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