If an act has been de-criminalised due to changes in the law, the legal authorities are admitting that they no longer consider that act to be an offence. Example - sex with someone aged 17, once a crime but now perfectly legal. However, they will still arrest and prosecute someone for this past crime, even though they no longer consider it to be a crime. This is rather curious.

Does this mean that people who admit to having once had gay sex with a fellow adult while it was still a crime will now also be prosecuted, even though it is now quite legal?

If someone admits to have taken drugs in the 60's, will they now be arrested for that past offence?

Isn't it about time the authorities left the past in the past, and lived more in the present.

It's also a curious thing about society that a convicted murderer can become a popular soap star, but a man convicted on unproven allegations of a sexual nature will be persecuted and ostracised for life.

Weird world.

Archbold makes it clear; if both males were over 16 (even when the age of consent was 21, let alone 18) and no complaint was made within 12 months of the act, there can be no prosecution and a crime was no longer committed.

R vs Lewis is the case precedent

The law has always had some strange curiosities !

For example ... I always thought that "drinking-up" times were a little weird. It's OK to drink at 5 mins to 11 - but illegal at 5 mins after 11 ! That's the equivalent of saying that murder is OK on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays but not on other days.

It's also illegal to gamble under 18 ... EXCEPT that is, if you are doing the government's own gambling (ie the National Lottery) which sells tickets to 16 year olds.

As for old laws (things that were illegal then but are not now) - the media (through publicity / pressure) will decide who is persued and who isn't - and anyway apparently it's OK as long as you didn't inhale !!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It's also a curious thing about society that a convicted murderer can become a popular soap star"

Ah but flash his willy on Webcam and they'll nail the same man to a tree and dance...

I'm afraid, to the British Public, a German Taxi Driver doesn't count as murder...

Exactly the reason why I never took with the press and media witch-hunt.

Too many hypocritical old hacks throwing stones in their own greenhouses!