Author: admin

“Whatever the result at Kingston Crown Court, there remains on the statute book a dreadful piece of legislation and a CPS very ready to exercise its discretion to prosecute even when the images are of adult consensual sexual activity”. “There is something both farcical and worrying in the way the […]

Officialdom’s attitude to freedom of sexual expression & the chequered history of the Obscene Publications Act is wittily summarised in the New Statesman by Heresiarch, @Heresy_Corner on Twitter. The image of Canute vainly trying to hold back the inflowing sea resonates strongly because that is the way in which authorities […]

This week Kingston-on-Thames Crown Court will hear a potentially important test case regarding freedom of sexual expression. Simon Walsh is facing several charges of possession of ‘extreme pornography’ under Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. The case is significant because it centres on images of adults […]

Example of expert witness evidence by Dr Clarissa Smith at an extreme images trial in 2011. Unless a paragraph is prefaced by another identified person, all the points made are hers. The CPS insisted all copies of the images be destroyed at the end of this trial, so it is […]

Example expert witness evidence by Professor Feona Attwood at an extreme images trial in 2011. Unless a paragraph is prefaced by another identified person, all the points made are hers. The CPS insisted all copies of the images be destroyed at the end of this trial, so it is not […]

This is a precis of key points contained in a Crown Court Judge’s summing up at a trial for the possession of extreme images in January 2011. The Jury found the defendant Not Guilty. Parliament recently decided to outlaw extreme pornographic images. This is not about rights and wrongs. Leave […]

In the period Backlash has been monitoring implementation of the CJIA 2008 s63 a number of common threads can be discerned, from which some lessons can be learnt. To help minimise problems, bear  in mind – If the Police look like being involved Be proactive, not reactive. Be very wary […]

A number of people who have been arrested for possible offences under CJIA and similar laws subsequently find themselves in trouble with their employers as a result. Backlash is supporting a case before an employment tribunal which may establish an important protection for freedom of expression by BDSM practitioners. The main […]

Backlash is seeking donations to support a case before an employment tribunal which may establish an important protection for BDSM practitioners. We are providing legal support to a former senior council employee. They were dismissed for engaging in private BDSM activity that had no relevance to their work. The grounds […]

Mr Pay was a probation officer, employed by the Lancashire Probation Service since 1983. Following a tip off from the police in 2000, the employer learned that in his leisure time Mr Pay performed shows in hedonist and fetish clubs and was also a director of a company selling products […]