The Irish Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 contained provisions criminalising ‘buggery’ between males. The applicant alleged at the European Court of Human Rights that such provisions violated his right to respect for private life in contravention of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court found for the applicant. While the applicant had never been prosecuted, the depression he suffered as a result of this risk, in Court’s view, meant that he had sufficient standing to bring the case before the European Court.
Norris v Ireland, 13 Eur. H.R. Rep. 186 (1988)
Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights ruling against the provisions criminalising 'buggery' between males in Ireland