Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Defendant definition

What does Defendant mean? In legal practice, “defendant” describes the party against whom court proceedings are brought, whether a civil claim or a criminal charge. In England and Wales the term is defined in the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR 2.3) as a person against whom a claim is made; it is also used in the Criminal Procedure Rules. Northern Ireland follows similar usage. In Scotland, the civil counterpart is the “defender” (claimant is the pursuer), and in criminal cases the person is referred to as the “accused” (also the “panel” in solemn proceedings). In Ireland, civil procedure uses “defendant” under the Rules of...

Sexual Harm Prevention Orders in England and Wales: Scope, Requirements, Duration, Procedure, Variation, Interim Orders, Breach and Appeals

Published by a LexisNexis Corporate Crime expert

Practice notes

Section 345 of the Sentencing ACT 2020 (SA 2020) authorises the court to impose sexual harm prevention orders (SHPOs) when dealing with a Defendant on conviction for specified categories of offences.

The regime in sections 103A–103K of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (SOA 2003) regulates SHPOs made other than on conviction, namely where:

a court returns a verdict of not guilty of a specified sexual or violent offence by reason of Insanity
a court decides the defendant is under a Disability and has carried out the act charged in relation to such an offence, or
the police apply in respect of a qualifying offender who presents a risk to the public

This Practice Note is principally concerned with SHPOs ordered as part of the sentencing exercise following conviction. For details on sexual risk orders (SROs), which do not form part of sentencing but may be pursued by complaint to a magistrates’ court against an individual believed to pose a risk of harm to the public, see Practice Note: Sexual risk orders.

Key features of a SHPO

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Alex McHugh

Pump Court Chambers

Alex McHugh joined Pump Court Chambers following successful completion of his pupillage. His key areas of practice are criminal defence, family, and landlord & tenant disputes. Prior to joining Chambers, Alex worked as a paralegal for a number of years at a Legal 500 firm in London. Two of those years were spent in crime under the stewardship of extremely experienced senior partners. Alex helped manage cases from beginning to end and represented all manner of clients in respect of a full range of alleged offences. As counsel, Alex defends his clients throughout every stage of proceedings. Alex accepts private and, where applicable, publicly funded briefs on road traffic offences, and has experience in representing clients in relation to speeding, drinking driving, “totting up”, and causing injury by dangerous driving offences. Alex predominantly works across the Western Circuit, London, and the South East. ...

Web page updated on 27/05/2026

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