To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in each of the last three years of 16 to 18 year old men for offences involving consenting homosexual acts. [39987]
Information for 1994 to 1996 (latest available) is given in the table. It does not include offences such as male rape or indecent assault on a male. It should be noted that section 145 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (which came into force in November 1994) amended section 12 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967—by lowering from 21 to 18 the age at which men may lawfully perform consenting homosexual acts in private.
| Number of males cautioned, prosecuted and convicted1 for specific homosexual offences by age, 1994–1996 | |||
| England and Wales | |||
| Year/offence | Aged 16 | Aged 17 | Aged 18 |
| 1994 | |||
| Buggery offences | |||
| Cautioned | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Prosecuted | 9 | 13 | 5 |
| Convicted | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Indecency between males | |||
| Cautioned | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Prosecuted | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Convicted | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1995 | |||
| Buggery offences | |||
| Cautioned | 1 | — | — |
| Prosecuted | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Convicted | — | 5 | 3 |
Number of males cautioned, prosecuted and convicted1 for specific homosexual offences by age, 1994–1996
| |||
England and Wales
| |||
Year/offence
| Aged 16
| Aged 17
| Aged 18
|
Indecency between males
| |||
| Cautioned | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Prosecuted | — | 4 | 4 |
| Convicted | — | 2 | 1 |
1996
| |||
Buggery offences
| |||
| Cautioned | 3 | 1 | — |
| Prosecuted | 4 | — | 2 |
| Convicted | 1 | — | 1 |
Indecency between males
| |||
| Cautioned | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Prosecuted | — | — | 1 |
| Convicted | — | — | 1 |
1Includes persons proceeded against in earlier years or for other offences. | |||