Adults who groom children into crime to face up to five years in jail 

While current law already provides that an adult who causes or uses a child to commit a crime can generally be found guilty as the principal offender, it does not recognise the harm done to a child by drawing them into a world of criminality.

Adults convicted of grooming children into a life of crime will face up to five years in prison, under a new law to be announced on Friday by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

The bill will make it an offence for an adult to compel, coerce, induce or invite a child to engage in criminal activity. The Government says the legislation is a key part of its efforts to prevent gangs leading children into a life of crime.