Staggered age of consent to be discussed after Brand allegations, minister says
Also reported by Guardian World
Summary
UK Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said proposals for a staggered age of consent will be discussed after renewed calls to change the law. Under current UK law, adults may have sex with people aged 16 or 17; campaigner Mia Latter says relationships between under-18s and much older adults should be criminal offences.Key Facts
- Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison after convictions for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women.
- Brand was acquitted of two counts of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
- Mia Latter says she was 16 when she met Brand, who was 30 at the time.
- Latter is among six women who made allegations against Brand in 2023; none of those six women was a complainant in his recent criminal trial.
- McFadden said questions about a staggered age of consent had been raised and would be discussed, without stating what the outcome would be.
- Latter supports allowing relationships between 16-to-18-year-olds while making relationships between under-18s and adults in their 30s, 40s or 50s a criminal offence.
- Conservative shadow minister Helen Whatley said the proposed change was worth debating.
- The NSPCC said 16- and 17-year-olds can be vulnerable to grooming and should be protected from sexual exploitation.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
