Obscene Punlications Act used with Online Chat

An individual has been charged with nine offences under the Obscene Publications Act (1959) in relation to online chat material.

According to the law, any publications that "tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely ... to read, see or hear" the content are counted as an offence.

The individual has also been charged with two counts of making and four counts of possessing indecent material.

A Detective Sergeant from the Kent Police force insisted that the Law should be changed to cover the "legislative gap in terms of written fantasy material specifically about child rape and murder".