No-one ever convicted of paying for sex with unwilling prostitute

Justice Minister David Ford said the offence came into force in 2009 but that no-one is known to have been convicted of the crime.

Mr Ford stated: “The offence referred to is ‘paying for sexual services of a prostitute subjected to force etc’ under Article 64A of the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 and came into force in 2009.

“There were no convictions for the offence in 2009 (the latest year for which figures are currently available).

“Data are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence for which an offender is convicted is included.”

DUP MLA Lord Morrow has previously asked the Minister whether he would amend legislation to upgrade the charge of knowingly engaging the services of a prostitute who has been coerced from a summary offence.

Lord Morrow wanted to “ensure more severe penalties on conviction and the removal of the current statutory time barring.”

Mr Ford replied: “The current summary offence of paying for the services of a prostitute subjected to force is a strict liability offence, as it is in England and Wales.

“This means that the question of whether or not the individual knew that the prostitute was being subjected to force is irrelevant to that particular offence.

“If a person knowingly paid for sex with a person who was not freely consenting, the charge would be for a non-consensual offence such as rape, which is indictable.”