Hide your love away
Question
We were almost caught by the police having sex at a local nature reserve, in our van, at 10 o'clock at night. Could we have been prosecuted and, if so, what for?
Answer
According to UK law, it is illegal to have sex in a public place. A nature reserve would certainly come under this description, at any time of day or night, and so the police would have been able to charge you under the Public Order Act.
Usually the police will only act on a complaint from a third party. They could take action if an officer of the law was to catch you having sex, although it would be unusual for them to take you to court for it. Even so, there is still the potential for a charge under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 63 of trespass with the intent to commit a sexual offence.
So, you may have escaped prosecution this time, but it's worth knowing the risks you run before setting off in your van again in search of a good time.
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Question answered by CAB
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