Underage Sex,libel, Slander

[andres]

In view of recent events would now be a good time to remind us of the laws in the uk regarding these issues.

[DJHawkes]

do you mean for those who are going to carry out the above offences or for those who are victims of said offences? Or indeed to enable us to get out legal hats on and debate the offences with accuracy?

[andres]

I don't think a lot of the young people today even know that we have laws regarding these topics. Otherwise they might be a bit more selective with what they put out on Social Media sites etc. It was just an observation that maybe if people knew that they might be breaking the law then they might think twice before doing some of the above.

[FredPuli43]

I'm sure that young people don't see any difference between saying something defamatory and putting it out on social media. One is slander and rarely actionable without proof of financial loss; an exception at common law is impugning a woman's chastity, which says a lot about bygone times; the other is libel and actionable without financial loss. But most youngsters are safe, because they are not worth suing. It is still possible for people to get injunctions forbidding the world and his wife from referring to some embarrassing fact about them, but these have fallen into disfavour and are hardly worth an application.

People are more in danger of being in contempt of court. They don't appreciate what that covers, nor that it is putting words into text,rather than just gossiping with friends, that gets them into trouble because it's then that the harm is done.

[Peter Pedant]

moght think twice about doing some of the above....(andres)

What the sex or the slander ?

commenting - such as Sally Bercow - has resulted in libel preceedings
not reported as there seems to be little oral testimony

some threads on this AB have been erased - R v Cregan and others currently being heard in Mold Crown Court attracted more comment than might be allowed, and was zapped amid protests that people could write what they wanted....

However this case is being reported every day on the Manchester Evg News site - I think we are up to Day 45 - and the Defence is presenting their cases.
The defence is still noteworthy - last week Cregan's mother testified for the defence of another co-accused and said he had told her he had done it - but she didnt believe him. [We have not yet been told how this exonerates the other defendant.] Cregan denies various charges but has admitted two charges of murder.

It would be difficult to see how Cregan could sue for libel since he has pleaded guilty to two murders. [ That by the way is a comment about a possible as yet unbrought libel case in the future and NOT a comment about the current case ].

R v Bridger - the April Jones Case - much has been made this week of his failure to look at a police helicopter. Apparently in Wales it is either that or the sheep. Bridger denies one count of murder.