No Freedom for sexual freedom

11 February 2011 – The Coalition shied away from repealing the extreme images law, despite Liberals opposing the legislation when it was going through Parliament, and being in the Civil Liberties top 10 in the 2010 online consultation. more…

Stafford jury acquits fantasy porn defendant

7 January 2011 – Prosecutors failed in the first test case to make mock erotic murder scenes illegal.

K, who downloaded erotic fantasy images with violent themes from the internet, was found not guilty of possession of ‘extreme pornography’ at Stafford Crown Court. The jury were asked to decide whether obviously faked death images were in fact ‘realistic’ depictions of sexual violence; despite the prosecution having accepted, before the trial even began, that the images were clearly “staged”. In a victory for common sense and free speech the mainly female jury unanimously acquitted K of all charges. more…

CPS forced to drop case

22 December 2010 – Prosecutors were obliged to drop a case when Backlash’s legal advisors requested access to the evidence for an expert opinion. more…

Tiger Porn defendant miscarriage of justice averted

28 May 2010 – The sexual civil liberties organisation Backlash assisted in averting a miscarriage of justice.

Andrew Holland was charged with possessing extreme pornography under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 at Mold Crown Court. He stood to be sentenced for the offence, having pleaded guilty mid trial under advice from his local legal team in Wrexham. Backlash contacted Holland and discovered that he may have been misadvised by his local legal team; and that he did in fact have a defence to the charge. more…

Lords thanked by Backlash

Deborah Hyde as Backlash spokesperson wrote to members of the House of Lords who had questioned the Government’s assumptions during debates in March 2008, thanking them and summarising the reasons for further changes.

Young Lawyers Debate Censorship

Deborah Hyde argued at the Trinity College Law Society in October 2007 that anti-porn laws ignore
the evidence about the use and impact of pornography, infantilise women and
bring legal systems into disrepute. Click here for her speech and here for backlash’s press release.

Women say “NO” to Government ban on “violent” pornography

Women across Britain reject today’s presentation in the House of Commons of the Criminal Justice Bill 2006-7, which will make possession of certain kinds of consensually-produced porn punishable with three years in prison.

Click for full release here

Experts speak out

Academics Dr Meg Barker and Dr Miodrag Popovic have
spoken out against illiberal government policies. NHS clinician Dr Popovic has
published an article in the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy, severely
critiquing the “violent pornography” proposal, while Dr Barker, Senior
Lecturer in Psychology at London South Bank University, told Backlash that the
planned legislation will promote sexual ignorance and “may actually increase
the risk of physical damage” among the 30% of people admitting to a kinky
component in their sex lives and fantasies.

Previous Press Releases

March 2007
Backlash tells Academic Conference new UK Porn Law will Criminalise Millions
– for No Benefit.

November 2006 Plans to criminalise possession of pornography are hypocritical.

August 2006
“Government proposals to criminalise the possession of ‘violent pornography’
will do nothing to reduce real crime. They will treat consenting adults like
children. And they run the risk of imposing much wider limits on freedom of
speech than they intend.”