EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — Members of the Scottish Parliament are poised to follow their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern and pass a law that criminalizes the possession of “extreme pornography.”The British ban, which takes effect January 26th, provides up to three-year prison sentences for possession of material deemed “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character” because it depicts sexual activities that are likely to threaten life or appear likely to result in “serious injury to the genitals or breasts.”
Current Scottish law forbids only importing and distributing such material.
“By introducing a new offense, I want to reduce the demand for these extreme images and send out a clear message that they and the people who look at them have no place in a civilized society,” Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who introduced the new bill to bring Scotland’s laws more in line with Britain’s, told Scottish TV.
Under MacAskill’s proposal, Scottish law will be even more severe than the “extreme porn” laws in other parts of the U.K.: The Scottish ban will extend to “realistic depictions” of rape.
“In a global age, these vile images are now sadly all too available to people to view and download,” MacAskill said. “But anyone who is considering looking at these repugnant images should be aware that by doing so they are creating a market for them.
“This is not a victimless crime,” he added. “There is a human cost to all of this. The images in question involve activities which may be criminal and could cause serious harm to those involved in making them. Those who seek to find pleasure from other people’s pain and exploitation will find themselves prosecuted and punished.”
The proposed law is expected to be published next month as part of a massive overhaul of the country’s Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill. The legislation also includes reforms of court procedures and community sentences and provides stiffer penalties for organized crime.
