Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has welcomed Government amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill.
A clause on “cuckooing” tabled by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Member of Parliament for Chingford and Woodford Green, and supported by Caroline, was adopted into the Bill in the form of new Government clauses.
“Cuckooing” is the practice of taking over the home of a vulnerable individual with the intention of using it as a base for criminal activity. It is a tactic which allows criminal gangs to avoid the police.
Separately, in response to an amendment tabled by Caroline Nokes, Member of Parliament for Romsey and Southampton North, and also supported by Caroline, the Government introduced New Clause 86, which creates an offence of creating a purported sexual image of an adult, without consent.
Both clauses were added to the Bill, which will provisionally undergo its Remaining Stages in the House of Commons on Tuesday 4th June.
Commenting after the first day of Report Stage, Caroline said:
“It has been great to see cross-party efforts to introduce legislation to protect people from serious crime. I supported these changes because they will fill gaps where legislation has not kept up with reality. Once passed, they will be vital in modernising our criminal justice system.
“I am glad that the Government has worked with us to introduce this important legislation, and I thank them and my colleagues for their engagement on the matter.”
