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Queen's Speech Heralds Victory for Campaign Against Internet Porn |
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A two and a half year campaign led by Reading mum Liz Longhurst and supported by MPs Martin Salter (Reading West) and David Lepper (Brighton Pavilion) has finally been realised with today’s announcement in the Queen’s speech that there will be a new criminal offence for the possession of violent and extreme pornographic material.
The powers will form part of the new Criminal Justice Bill aimed at introducing new measure to further protect the public, reduce crime even further and to bring more offenders to justice. Specifically there will be a new offence to deal with violent pornography. The campaign was launched in February 2004 following the death of Brighton schoolteacher Jane Longhurst in March 2003. The MPs organised a delegation from the Longhurst family to meet with the then Home Secretary David Blunkett MP. A national petition was then launched calling for extreme pornographic images featuring rape, torture and necrophilia to be treated under the law the same way as child pornography. Following further meetings with the new Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP the government launched a formal consultation in August 2005 regarding the creation of a new offence. Last November Martin Salter and David Lepper presented petitions in advance of the Home Office deadline of December 2nd for the government consultation on proposals to ban the possession of extreme pornographic material including internet images of necrophilia or violent and abusive sexual acts. Currently it is an offence to publish this material but not an offence to possess it. The campaign has attracted the support of Amnesty International, many church groups and women’s organisations and 180 MPs of all parties, including the Solicitor General, Harriet Harman MP who has been a long-time campaigner for women’s rights. The conclusion of the consultation on August 30th 2006 had shown the government’s commitment to bring in the new offence, but today’s announcement commits Parliamentary time to this being put onto the statute book. Liz Longhurst said: “I am absolutely delighted to hear that a new offence outlawing the possession of extreme and violent internet pornography will been included in the new Criminal Justice Bill announced in today’s Queen’s speech. It has been a long campaign but it immensely gratifying to know that our efforts have not been in vain.” Martin Salter said: “We began this campaign two and a half years ago and it has taken up an extraordinary amount of time and energy but I don’t regret a single moment of it and I feel so pleased for Liz Longhurst and all her supporters who I know will be thrilled to hear that these dreadful images of rape, torture and necrophilia will be outlawed within the next twelve months. As well as paying tribute to Liz and the 50,000 people who signed our petition I would also like to publicly thank Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker and his predecessor Paul Goggins for listening to our case and for securing the all important parliamentary time necessary to achieve a change in the law.”  
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