(no subject)

[lovingboth]

A fascinating split on the U-18 prostitution question. I can see arguments both ways. Any comments as to why people hold the views they do?

At one point, it was going to be an absolute offence - if the person being paid was 17, you were guilty full stop. Now, it will be a defence if you have a reasonable belief they were 18 or over.

Comments

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

Hmm - I'm really not keen on absolute offences with no mens rea component. Motoring offences used to be the only place you'd find such things, but I guess that breached the bulwark and this is part of a small trickle at the start of the flood. Now there's all sorts of possession offences and pollution/health and safety stuff too. And now this.

I can see the practical argument for some of these, but as someone with woolly liberal leanings, I really can't let improved conviction rates outweigh the possibility that you could convict someone of something when there is no possible way they could have known they were doing something wrong.