Events
Court of Appeal slash jail term for extreme porn victim
After they went to his house for an unrelated matter, a man handed over his laptop to police and ended up with a 14 month jail term. This has been cut to 4 months by the Court of Appeal. Backlash are seeking a transcript of that hearing, which does not […]
Children should be taught about porn on the net
Children should be taught about porn on the net. A statement of the bleeding obvious, one might have thought – but not to Michael Gove. Now the Telegraph are ratcheting up the pressure, with a ‘Better Sex Education’ campaign. NSPCC ‘research’* commissioned by The Telegraph claims to show that in […]
Essential links defending sexual freedom on the Internet IV
From TorrentFreak: UK Porn Filter will censor other content too. Ally Fogg on Free Thought Blogs: What do men see when they see Page 3? Laurie Penny, New Statesman: It’s Page 3, not online porn, that is the real threat to young women’s health and happines Dani Garavelli on The Scotsman: […]
Backlash legal adviser Myles Jackman wins Junior Lawyer of the Year
Myles Jackman, a consultant at Hodge Jones Allen solicitors, has won the Law Society’s Junior Lawyer of the Year Award. He has successfully defended a number of individuals charged in obscenity and extreme pornography cases, several of whom initially sought Backlash for advice. The Law Society announced: ‘His work has […]
Olympic sex trafficking – How was it for you?
A salutory analysis of sex trafficking for the Olympics and the lasting damage evangelists caused. Much as the extreme images legislation was based on fiction not fact, another fashionable trope du jour blithely ignoring evidence – or lack of – does have real, on the ground, repercussions. “We are currently […]
Extreme Pornography: Legal Theory, Institutional Reality
We will not know the full significance, for legal practice, of the acquittal of Simon Walsh of possession of extreme pornography for some time. However, the way the case has unfolded allows us to challenge some of the claims made by academic legal theorists who either supported legislation banning possession […]
Would you even know what material might be illegal?
Myles Jackman, Simon Walsh’s solicitor, reveals significant issues in the Guardian about a test case, ones it was not possible to tweet about during the trial itself. “Like Simon, you could be sent a potentially illegal picture via email. One which you never requested or opened, only to later find […]
Buck-passing to medical experts and juries
A decision to prosecute is not a medical matter, nor should the CPS be blithely leaving it “for a jury to decide”. So argues David Allen Green in a powerful piece in the New Statesman questioning the CPS’ judgement in bringing the Walsh prosecution. “The CPS instead has the important […]
Clarifying confused and confusing legislation
An important article by legal academic Alex Dymock, clarifying the extent of what remains a confused and confusing piece of legislation, explains the background to the Walsh case. Present throughout the case, she covers why it raises new and important questions about the legal status of possessing images of consenting […]
Jury refuses to criminalise a Magistrate for looking at fisting porn.
Former Boris Johnson fire aide has been acquitted of possession of “extreme pornography”. A barrister charged with possession of extreme pornography depicting fisting and urethral sounding was acquitted today by a jury at Kingston Crown Court. Simon Walsh, 50, is an Alderman of the City of London and a Magistrate. […]