The second edition of this popular book provides a comprehensive and up to date introduction to the law pertaining to sexual offences. The book evaluates a range of sexual offences by adopting an interdisciplinary analysis of the various relationships which exist between sexual behaviour, legal regulation, the criminalisation process, punishment, social mores and morality. The increasing politicisation of sexual offences will make the text of interest to a wide range of students and practitioners in law, criminal justice, social work, women's studies, probation and politics. The second edition has been updated to take account of the recent 'age of consent' debates and associated measures in the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, as well as other major reform proposals in sexual offences generally. The text considers a range of key judicial decisions, including the House of Lords in B v DPP on strict liability and mistakes of age, and the Supreme Court of Canada in Cuerrier on consent and misrepresentation. Recent legislative measures, including the registration requirements imposed on sex offenders under the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and Sex Offender Orders under the Crime Disorder Act 1998, are included.