Rape in English law

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (July 2014) This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Messy usage of sections. Please help improve this article if you can. (April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Rape is a statutory offence in England and Wales. The offence is created by section 1^[1] of the Sexual Offences Act 2003:

(1) A person (A) commits an offence if—

(a) he intentionally penetrates the vagina, anus or mouth of another person (B) with his penis,

(b) B does not consent to the penetration, and

(c) A does not reasonably believe that B consents.

(2) Whether a belief is reasonable is to be determined having regard to all the circumstances, including any steps A has taken to ascertain whether B consents.
(3) Sections 75 and 76 apply to an offence under this section.

(4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life.

This definition notably has a narrower definition with other kinds of rape being covered by offences with other names. For example, if a victim is forcefully penetrated with an object other than a penis, this is classed as "Assault by Penetration" (section 2),^[2] and if the victim is made to penetrate another, the act can be prosecuted as "Causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent" (section 4).^[3]