Spiking and cuckooing to become criminal offences in Northern Ireland

Spiking and cuckooing will become criminal offences in Northern Ireland, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said.

Legislative consent motions will see some provisions of the Crime and Polining Bill, currently going through Westminster, extended to the region.

Ms Long said: “Spiking is a despicable act that leaves victims feeling violated, vulnerable and confused.

“Whilst spiking can happen to anyone, it is predominately an attack against women and girls, and one which often goes unreported.

“I hope by making spiking an offence, it provides additional reassurance and protections to women and girls and will give victims the courage to report attacks to the PSNI.”

Cuckooing, when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over without consent for the conduct of illegal activities like drug dealing, will also become a specific offence.

There will be an updated offence of possession of advice or guidance relating to the creation of child sexual abuse images and an offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.

There will also be new offences relating to electronic devices for use in vehicle theft, reforms to the confiscation of the proceeds of crime, and implementation of international law enforcement information-sharing agreements.

The Justice Minister has also brought forward a legislative consent motion to have some measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill extended to Northern Ireland.

These include supply of trailer registration information, two offences relating to articles for use in serious crime and an offence of breach of an interim serious crime prevention order

She said: “It is, of course, my preference to legislate for devolved matters through the Assembly.

“However, the extension of the provisions will ensure consistency across the UK in tackling certain types of criminality and provide important safeguards for victims.”

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said the new offence of spiking was “long overdue”.

She said: “I have been raising this issue for several years, particularly after a number of spiking incidents in Derry caused real fear and alarm.

“It is disappointing that the minister initially said there was no case for change, but I commend her for now listening and acting.

“This must be a turning point and not just the final step. We now need a co-ordinated and robust approach to tackle spiking and support victims.

“That includes introducing a requirement for all licensed nightclub venues to provide spiking testing kits, so that individuals have the means to test their drinks and so venues are equipped to act swiftly where incidents are suspected.

“Women deserve to feel safe on a night out. Making spiking a criminal offence sends a strong message, but we must match that with practical measures to prevent it from happening in the first place.”