Victorian Current Acts

CRIMES ACT 1958 - SECT 49E

    (1)     A person (A) commits an offence if—

        (a)     A intentionally—

              (i)     touches another person (B); or

              (ii)     causes or allows B to touch A; or

              (iii)     causes B—

    (A)     to touch, or to continue to touch, themselves; or

    (B)     to touch, or to continue to touch, another person (C); or

    (C)     to be touched, or to continue to be touched, by C; and

        (b)     B is—

              (i)     a child aged 16 or 17 years; and

              (ii)     under A's care, supervision or authority; and

        (c)     the touching is—

              (i)     sexual; and

              (ii)     contrary to community standards of acceptable conduct.

    (2)     A person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable to level 6 imprisonment (5 years maximum).

    (3)     Whether or not the touching is contrary to community standards of acceptable conduct depends on the circumstances.

    (4)     For the purposes of subsection (3)—

        (a)     the circumstances include—

              (i)     the purpose of the touching; and

              (ii)     whether A seeks or gets sexual arousal or sexual gratification from the touching;

        (b)     the circumstances do not include—

              (i)     whether B consents to the touching; or

              (ii)     whether A believes that B consents to the touching.

Notes

1     An exception applies to this offence—see section 49Y.

2     Defences apply to this offence—see sections 49X, 49Z and  49ZA.

3     A mistaken but honest and reasonable belief that the touching was not sexual or contrary to community standards of acceptable conduct is not a defence to this offence—see section 49ZC.

S. 49F inserted by No. 47/2016 s. 16.