The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2017

Made: 31st May 2017

Laid before the Scottish Parliament: 2nd June 2017

Coming into force: 3rd July 2017

The Scottish Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 45(2) of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016[^f00001].

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2017 and come into force on 3rd July 2017.

Appointed day

2

3rd July 2017 is the day appointed for the coming into force of the following provisions of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016—

• (a) section 2 (intimate images offence);

• (b) section 3 (interpretation of section 2); and

• (c) section 4 and schedule 1 (how section 2 applies to providers of information society services).

Signed

MICHAEL MATHESON — A member of the Scottish Government — 31st May 2017

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Regulation 2 of these Regulations brings into force the following provisions of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 on 3rd July 2017:

• Section 2 which makes it an offence to disclose to others, or threaten to disclose to others, an intimate photograph or film of a person with the intention of causing that person fear, alarm or distress, or being reckless as to the fear, alarm or distress that may be caused.

• Sections 3 and 4 and schedule 1 which make provision connected with section 2.

The Act received Royal Assent on 28th April 2016 and sections 42, 44, 45 and 46 of the Act came into force the following day.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2016 asp 22.