Commentary on Sections Part One – Rape Etc Section 6 - Coercing a person into looking at a sexual image
21.This section creates the offence of “coercing a person into looking at a sexual image”. Subsections (1) and (2) provide that an offence is committed if a person intentionally (and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification or for the purpose of humiliating, distressing or alarming the victim) causes the victim to look at a sexual image. The offence is only committed if the victim did not consent to looking at the image and the accused had no reasonable belief that the victim so consented. Furthermore, the accused does not commit the offence if he or she had intended to direct or send the image to someone other than the victim (e.g. by email).
22.Subsection (3) defines a “sexual image” for the purposes of this section. A “sexual image” is an image of a person, whether real or imaginary, engaging in a sexual activity or an image of the genitals of a person, whether real or imaginary.