Dogging Laws & Legal Information

So, just how does UK law affect Dogging?

As the number of people taking part in dogging increases, we've gone undercover to try and find out where we all stand with regard to the UK legal system!

All the references below are readily available if you know where to look, although it does take some digging around to find! Unfortunately it seems that dogging is covered by numerous documents, but not one of them gives a definitive answer, so reading between the lines is required.

The newest document available, and the one most likely to be used as a point of reference by legal teams and the police is the 2003 Sex Act. When this was first published it made having sex in a car or in public view a prosecutable offence but due to a lot of complaints and legal arguments, it was reviewed and rewritten.

The sections that are most relevant are Section 66 Exposure and Section 67 Voyeurism.

2003 Sex Act - Section 66 : Exposure

(1) An offence is committed by a dogging male if:
(a) he intentionally exposes his genitals, and
(b) he intends that someone will see them and be caused alarm or distress.

(2) If found guilty of an offence under this section you are liable to receive the following punishment:
(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both;
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.

2003 Sex Act - Section 67 : Voyeurism

(1) An offence is committed by a male if:
(a) for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, he observes another person doing a private act, and
(b) he knows that the other person does not consent to being observed for his sexual gratification.

In other words, ask before you watch, it's a legal requirement!!

(2) A guy commits an offence if:
(a) he operates equipment with the intention of enabling another person to observe, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, a third person (B) doing a private act, and
(b) he knows that B does not consent to his operating equipment with that intention.

(3) An offence is committed if:
(a) he records another person (B) doing a private act,
(b) he does so with the intention that he or a third person will, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, look at an image of B doing the act, and
(c) he knows that B does not consent to his recording the act with that intention.

(4) An offence is committed if:
(a) he installs equipment, or constructs or adapts a structure or part of a structure, with the intention of enabling himself or another person to commit an offence under subsection (1).

(5) If guilty of an offence under this section you are liable to:
(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both;
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.

Please make sure you are aware of this information prior to engaging in your own dogging activities, it can't give you a decisive answer as to the legality of dogging, but it can act as a solid guidline.