Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993

Interpretation.

1.—(1) In this Act—

“motor vehicle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads;

“public place” means any place to which the public have access whether as of right or by permission and whether subject to or free of charge;

“solicits or importunes” includes soliciting or importuning from or in a motor vehicle, and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;

“street” includes any road, bridge, lane, footway, subway, square, court, alley or passsage, whether a thoroughfare or not, which is for the time being open to the public; and the doorways, entrances and gardens abutting on a street and any ground or car-park adjoining and open to a street, shall be treated as forming part of a street.

(2) In this Act a person solicits or importunes for the purposes of prostitution where the person—

(a) offers his or her services as a prostitute to another person,

(b) solicits or importunes another person for the purpose of obtaining that other person’s services as a prostitute, or

(c) solicits or importunes another person on behalf of a person for the purposes of prostitution.

(3) In this Act references to sexual intercourse shall be construed as references to carnal knowledge as defined in section 63 of the Offences against the Person Act, 1861 .

(4) In this Act and in any other enactment, whether passed before or after this Act, a reference to a prostitute includes a reference to a male person who is a prostitute and a reference to prostitution shall be construed accordingly.

(5) In this Act a reference to a subsection is a reference to the subsection of the provision in which the reference occurs unless it is indicated that reference to some other provision is intended.