Singapore legislation

Section 377BE

of Penal Code 1871

Section 377BE

Distributing or threatening to distribute intimate image or recording

Amended by15/201915/201915/201915/201915/2019

(1)

Any person (A) shall be guilty of an offence who —

(a)

intentionally or knowingly distributes an intimate image or recording of another person (B);

(b)

without B’s consent to the distribution; and

(c)

knows or has reason to believe that the distribution will or is likely to cause B humiliation, alarm or distress.

Amended by15/2019

(2)

Any person (A) shall be guilty of an offence who —

(a)

knowingly threatens the distribution of an intimate image or recording of another person (B);

(b)

without B’s consent to the distribution; and

(c)

knows or has reason to believe that the threat will or is likely to cause B humiliation, alarm or distress.

Amended by15/2019

(3)

Subject to subsection (4), a person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years, or with fine, or with caning, or with any combination of such punishments.

Amended by15/2019

(4)

A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (2) against a person (B) who is below 14 years of age shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years and shall also be liable to fine or to caning.

Amended by15/2019

(5)

In this section, “intimate image or recording”, in relation to a person (B) —

(a)

means an image or recording —

(i)

of B’s genital or anal region, whether bare or covered by underwear;

(ii)

of B’s breasts if B is female, whether bare or covered by underwear; or

(iii)

of B doing a private act; and

(b)

includes an image or recording, in any form, that has been altered to appear to show any of the things mentioned in paragraph (a) but excludes an image so altered that no reasonable person would believe that it depicts B.Illustrations (a) A copies, crops, and pastes an image of B’s face onto the image of a body of a person who is engaging in a sexual act. This image has been altered to appear to show that B actually engaged in a sexual act. This is an intimate image. (b) A pastes an image of B’s face on a cartoon depicting B performing a sexual act on C. No reasonable person would believe that B was performing the sexual act depicted on C. This is not an intimate image.

Amended by15/2019
Section 377BE — Penal Code 1871 | laws.sg