First person to be prosecuted since it became an offence to pay for sexual services

A 23-year-old man has become the first person to be prosecuted in the UK after paying for sexual services became an offence nearly three years ago. James Maloney, of Armagh in Northern Ireland, is accused of attempting to obtain the sexual services of a female in exchange for payment. It is alleged the offence occurred in the Dungannon area on August 28, 2016. The prosecution is grounded on a section contained within the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 when it became an offence to pay or attempt to pay for sexual services. Mr Maloney has become the only person to be prosecuted to date in respect of this section of the law. His lawyer told Dungannon Magistrates Court the defendant intended to deny the charge. District Judge John Meehan listed a hearing for January 30, with a pre-trial review to be held in December. A spokesperson for Northern Ireland`s Public Prosecution Service confirmed this is the first case of its kind since the law was introduced in January 2015.