Britain has a number of outdated laws which have remained on the statute books. Some are simply risible and it would be a waste of parliamentary time to abolish them. Still others do not reflect the enormous changes in society during the twentieth century. Consequently, the home secretary, Jack Straw, has set up a sexual offences review group which has just reported its findings to ministers. The report will be published next month.
Incest is only illegal when it is between blood relatives.
An adopted parent or an in-law cannot be prosecuted on grounds of incest for sex with their child. Similarly, living off immoral earnings is an offence for a man, but not for a woman. The male flasher in the dirty raincoat is committing an offence, but if a woman were to expose herself in public, she could not be prosecuted for indecent exposure. At the moment , the sentencing guidelines for rape are the same whether the victim knows the rapist or not. The lord chief justice has ruled out the idea of grading sentences according to the degree of violence involved.