York Magistrates Court Wikipedia
York Magistrates Court where the man appeared after being charged with breaking his Sexual Risk Order Wikipedia

A British man who was cleared of rape, yet ordered to give police 24 hours' notice before he has sex, is to go on hunger strike in a protest over the ruling. The single man, who remains anonymous due to legal restrictions, is said to be in his 40's, and has admitted an interest in sado-masochistic sex.

He also has admitted visiting fetish clubs with an ex-partner, but was acquitted of rape at a retrial after an accusation made in 2015 and after spending 14 months on remand. Despite being cleared of the charge, the man is still subject to an interim sexual risk order (SRO) to be monitored by North Yorkshire Police.

The force successfully applied for the order at a magistrates court, something he says was "misapplied deliberately by North Yorkshire Police" and accused police of "sour grapes". He said he would "commence hunger strike in protest over the SRO" but the force said it was "satisfied that our actions are justified".

In a statement, the man said: "I intend to commence hunger strike in protest over the SRO to which I am subject. I protest that even though a jury found me unanimously not guilty, after nearly two years I still find myself being punished for a crime that never happened.

"I protest to being subject to an order that is unlawful in almost every syllable, is unjustified and is so extreme as to be utterly unlivable. Home Office guidelines clearly explain the types of behaviour that SROs are designed to prevent, and none of it applies in any way to me.

"The law has been misapplied deliberately by North Yorkshire Police out of sour grapes over being shown to be prejudicial and incompetent in their investigation of the original complaint against me."

SRO's were introduced to England and Wales last year and at least 31 men and women have found themselves appearing before courts under the controversial new laws. They can be applied to any individual who police believe may possess a risk of sexual harm - even if they are not convicted of any crime.

The order says that a citizen must disclose any planned sexual activity to police or they could be jailed for five years. They are civil orders imposed by magistrates and the specific order for this man says he "must disclose the details of any female including her name, address and date of birth... at least 24 hours prior to any sexual activity taking place."

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said its application for an SRO was considered necessary "to protect the public from the risk of sexual harm."

In August, police intend to ask magistrates if the order is to be made permanent. According to the Mirror the man said that there was "no prospect" of a relationship at the moment. "Can you imagine, 24 hours before sex? Come on."

The man has been charged with breaching the terms of the SRO by failing to give police the PIN number to his mobile phone. He said that after taking legal advice, he decide not to give it as a matter of principle. He was arrested and held in custody overnight.

The terms of his SRO means he cannot use any internet-enabled device that includes some fridges and intercom devices. The case will be heard before York Magistrates Court on August 19.