Consultation on the possession of extreme pornographic material

Summary of responses and next steps

Published by: Home Office, 2006
Via: Docuticker

Opinions were sharply divided: the vast majority of the responses to the proposals to strengthen the law to create a new offence of possession of a limited category of extreme pornography were either strongly supportive or strongly opposed. A majority of organisations responding were in favour: a majority of individuals responding opposed the proposals. Where expressed, there was a general consensus that the laws against possessing indecent photographs of children were necessary. To a lesser extent, most people were in favour of, or held no strong views about, the proposal to proscribe possession of images of bestiality and necrophilia, though some thought it would be hard to enforce in practice.