Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act of Ireland (1990) (excerpts related to Violence against Women and Domestic Violence) (English)
[excerpts]
CRIMINAL LAW (RAPE)(AMENDMENT) ACT, 1990
Sexual assault.
2.-(1) The offence of indecent assault upon any male person and the offence of indecent assault upon any female person shall be known as sexual assault.
(2) A person guilty of sexual assault shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.
(3) Sexual assault shall be a felony.
Aggravated sexual assault.
3.-(1) In this Act "aggravated sexual assault" means a sexual assault that involves serious violence or the threat of serious violence or is such as to cause injury, humiliation or degradation of a grave nature to the person assaulted.
(2) A person guilty of aggravated sexual assault shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life.
(3) Aggravated sexual assault shall be a felony.
Rape under section 4.
4.-(1) In this Act "rape under section 4" means a sexual assault that includes-
(a) penetration (however slight) of the anus or mouth by the penis, or
(b) penetration (however slight) of the vagina by any object held or manipulated by another person.
(2) A person guilty of rape under section 4 shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life.
(3) Rape under section 4 shall be a felony.
Abolition of marital exemption in relation to rape.
5.-(1) Any rule of law by virtue of which a husband cannot be guilty of the rape of his wife is hereby abolished.
(2) Criminal proceedings against a man in respect of the rape by him of his wife shall not be instituted except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Capacity to commit offences of a sexual nature.
6.-Any rule of law by virtue of which a male person is treated by reason of his age as being physically incapable of committing an offence of a sexual nature is hereby abolished.
Corroboration of evidence in proceedings in relation to offences of a sexual nature.
7.-(1) Subject to any enactment relating to the corroboration of evidence in criminal proceedings, where at the trial on indictment of a person charged with an offence of a sexual nature evidence is given by the person in relation to whom the offence is alleged to have been committed and, by reason only of the nature of the charge, there would, but for this section, be a requirement that the jury be given a warning about the danger of convicting the person on the uncorroborated evidence of that other person, it shall be for the judge to decide in his discretion, having regard to all the evidence given, whether the jury should be given the warning; and accordingly any rule of law or practice by virtue of which there is such a requirement as aforesaid is hereby abolished.
(2) If a judge decides, in his discretion, to give such a warning as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to use any particular form of words to do so.
Consent.
9.-It is hereby declared that in relation to an offence that consists of or includes the doing of an act to a person without the consent of that person any failure or omission by that person to offer resistance to the act does not of itself constitute consent to the act.