{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2015/section-90",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2015/section-90.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2015/9",
  "legislation_title": "Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2015",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2015",
  "path": "section/90",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "90",
  "heading": "Sexual communication with a child",
  "text": "(1) In the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 after Article 22 insert—\n“Sexual communication with a child\n22A (1) A person aged 18 or over (A) commits an offence if—\n(a) for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, A intentionally communicates with another person (B),\n(b) the communication is sexual or is intended to encourage B to make (whether to A or to another) a communication that is sexual, and\n(c) B is under 16 and A does not reasonably believe that B is 16 or over.\n(2) For the purposes of this Article, a communication is sexual if—\n(a) any part of it relates to sexual activity, or\n(b) a reasonable person would, in all the circumstances but regardless of any person's purpose, consider any part of the communication to be sexual;\nand in sub-paragraph (a) “sexual activity” means an activity that a reasonable person would, in all the circumstances but regardless of any person's purpose, consider to be sexual.\n(3) A person guilty of an offence under this Article is liable—\n(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both;\n(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.”.\n(2) In Article 4 of that Order (meaning of “sexual”) after “except” insert “ Article 22A (sexual communication with a child) or ”.\n(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(5) In the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 in Part 2 of Schedule 2 (specified sexual offences) in paragraph 14A after the entry relating to Article 22 of the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 insert— “ Article 22A (sexual communication with a child), ”.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 90(3) omitted (27.11.2023) by virtue of Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 19), s. 30(2), Sch. 2 para. 9; S.R. 2023/188, art. 3(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 90(4) omitted (27.11.2023) by virtue of Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 19), s. 30(2), Sch. 2 para. 9; S.R. 2023/188, art. 3(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2015/9/section/90",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:20:10.058862+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}