After being charged with a sexual offence against GMB star Narinder Kaur, Laurence Fox will appear in court today. She could face a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and be listed on the sex offender register.
Laurence Fox shocked former fans with his outspoken opinions on pressing issues, leading to a furious response from many. After being charged with a sexual offence, the actor will now appear in court once more on Friday, April 25.
The former actor allegedly shared a allegedly explicit photo of TV star Narinder Kaur with the actor in April 2024 online that was taken in 2009.
The incident was “unimaginably mortifying,” according to Good Morning Britain’s 52-year-old host Kaur, who was also the subject of vile hatred directed at her by Fox’s supporters.
The Metropolitan Police conducted an 11-month investigation into the incident before charging Fox, 46, last month, as a violation of section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
In an extended post the following day, Fox responded that he “would like to apologise” to Kaur and continued that “it’s not my fault” that Kaur was pictured in the compromising image more than 15 years ago. Despite Fox’s conciliatory words, his culpability has not yet been officially determined.
Marcus Johnstone, a criminal lawyer with a background in sexual crimes, spoke to the Mirror about Fox’s case. The attorney explained that a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison is determined at the magistrates’ court, where the case is being litigated.
Any sentence could be shortened by a third if the defendant pleads guilty when given the opportunity, according to Mr. Johnstone, but it’s unknown which course the Reform UK supporter will take.
In any case, Fox may receive a set amount of time as a sex offender in addition to any other punishment if found guilty or pleaded guilty.
According to Mr. Johnstone, intent will be taken into account when making a decision about whether Fox’s attorney should retract his decision to delete the image after Naur had made it clear. He even suggested that he never intended to harm anyone by sharing it.
The case against Laurence Fox is unusual, Johnstone said. In my opinion, it’s likely that the authorities are trying to deceive some people into believing that they are “offending” them. The sharing of a historic third-party image taken of a fellow journalist many years ago, which has allegedly been repeatedly shared, is the basis of the charges brought for “cyberflashing” under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Mr. Fox may be guilty of the offence because he shared the image alone, despite the fact that there does not appear to be any sexual gratification or motivation in his behavior. Mr. Fox is unlikely to spend time in prison if he accepts a guilty plea or is found guilty. He would almost certainly receive a custodial sentence, though most likely it would be suspended.
Fox’s lawyer claimed that if he was found guilty, he wouldn’t be released from prison, despite Johnstone’s contentions that he wouldn’t. He said that because this is purportedly a sexual offence, it would also come with the various restrictions and ramifications that come with being automatically registered as a sex offender.
Mr. Fox may consider civil action against some of his most vocal and loud detractors in the event of an acquittal. His top concern will be proving his innocence or requesting sentence reductions, as with all defendants.
Upskirting, which involves posing for photos of people without their permission while wearing underwear, was not yet prohibited by law when the photo was taken of Kaur. However, by the time Fox shared it, it had become a criminal offense. In 2019, upskirting was made a specific criminal offense. Offender registration and sentence to two years in prison are possible.
The Online Safety Act of 2023, which Fox’s actions have been accused of violating, introduced Section 66A to address the growing problem of cyberflashing, with many people, particularly women, revealing the criminal’s devastation. The practice of intentionally sharing or sending a sexual image of a genitals without the recipient’s consent, in order to raise alarm, ache, humiliation, or for sexual gratification is deemed a crime by the law.
Source: Mirror
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