70 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Include clergy in position of trust definition

Recommendation

The government should amend Section 21 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 so as to include clergy within the definition of a position of trust. This would criminalise under s16-s20 sexual activity between clergy and a person aged 16-18, over whom they exercise pastoral authority, involving the abuse of a position of trust.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the UK government's introduction in March 2021, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill aimed to extend the definition of a 'position of trust' to include religious leaders in relation to young people under 18. According to the Government response to IICSA’s Accountability and Reparations Report, the Bill received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022, with Section 47 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 reflecting this change.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
England
Section Reference
F
Response
Accepted
Accepted UK Government
22 May 2023

On 9 March 2021, the Ministry of Justice and Home Office stated that the government would introduce the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The Bill sought to extend the definition of a 'position of trust' to prevent sports coaches and religious leaders from engaging in sexual relationships with young people under the age of 18. On 28 April 2022, the Bill received Royal Assent and section 47 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 reflects this change.

Read Full Response
Source
Inquiry IICSA
Report The Anglican Church Case Studies Investigation Report 21 May 2019
View Source
Responsible Bodies
UK Government Primary
Themes & Tags
Child exploitation criminalisation Care safeguarding systems Sexual Offences Act Clergy Position of Trust
Recommendation age 6.8 yrs
Last formal update 1037 days ago