Sexual Offences

The most common sexual offence is sexual assault, which can refer to virtually any type of non-consensual sexual contact. Other sexual offences include sexual exploitation, invitation to sexual touching, and indecent acts.

Court proceedings relating to many sexual offences are governed by a number of procedural and evidentiary rules unique to sexual offences. These may include an application for a ban on publishing information which could tend to identify the alleged victim, an application to allow the alleged victim to testify from behind a screen, and rules preventing the accused person from having access to certain types of evidence (even if the prosecution has access to it).

There is no time limit on allegations of most sexual offences. Some people find themselves facing accusations from years or decades past. Special considerations may apply to these types of cases as the Court must address the law as it was at the time, while applying the Constitutional and procedural considerations of today.

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