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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

moved Amendment No. 87: 87: Schedule 16, page 219, line 20, at end insert— ““( ) After subsection (1) insert— ““(1A) ““Threatening”” in subsection (1) extends to words, behaviour or written material which asserts or implies an association between sexual orientation and a propensity to commit child sex offences under Part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.”””” The noble Lord said: My Lords, this was an amendment that I moved in Committee. Its purpose is to extend the meaning of ““threatening”” in subsection (1) to, "““words, behaviour or written material which asserts or implies an association between sexual orientation and a propensity to commit child sex offences under Part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003””." There is considerable disquiet among the public about child sex offences. It is a disquiet that everybody shares. It can give rise to strong emotions that can, in some situations, turn into violence against an individual. That is the basis upon which I draw your Lordships’ attention to the fact that the general public’s distaste for—indeed, hatred of—child sex offences is sometimes used as a weapon by people who have strong views about homosexuality. It does happen in our society that in order to stir up hatred against someone who is homosexual, an allegation is made that they are nothing more than a paedophile. I have experience of that causing great violence, harm and hurt to individuals who are homosexual. It could be said that ““threatening”” already includes an association between sexual orientation and a propensity to commit child sex offences, but we believe that it is necessary to spell this out so that people who seek to attack individuals because of their homosexuality should beware of what they say and what associations they make between the sexual orientation of the person they are talking about and the crime of paedophilia. I beg to move.