Sexual offences involving adults are primarily prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, with the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 introducing new measures to halve violence against women and girls. New legislation makes it a criminal offence to share or threaten to share intimate images without consent, and deepfakes are now explicitly covered under the law. These cases are often based on the legal definition of 'consent', requiring the prosecution to prove that the defendant did not have a reasonable belief in consent.

Defence strategies focus on the forensic analysis of digital communications to provide context to the encounter and challenge the prosecution's narrative of intent. The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 introduces new offences for taking intimate images without consent and strengthens laws against cyberflashing and epilepsy trolling. Individuals convicted of sharing intimate images for sexual gratification are subject to the sex offenders register. Representation ensures that 'special measures' are managed fairly and that all available evidence, including culturally intimate material, is meticulously scrutinised for the defence.