It’s 2026, and your dad’s mate can still have sex with you the minute you turn 16

The consent laws in England have remained the same since Victorian times (Picture: Getty/Metro)

‘The plain fact of it is that in Europe and in the United Kingdom, where I’m from, the age of consent is 16, and I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30.’

Those were the words of disgraced comedian and actor, Russell Brand, who is due to stand trial in October, charged with multiple sexual offences.

But having sex with a 16-year-old girl, who he used to pick up from school and refer to as ‘the child’ is, incredulously, not one of those offences.

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