Moral Dilemma #7 - The Neighbour

[lily.]

7. The Neighbor

You have a wonderful daughter. She is 8 years old and has always been a happy outgoing child. But a while ago something terrible happened, she was raped. You are quite sure that the person who raped her is your neighbor. Your daughter is so traumatized she has stopped speaking, but she in other ways been able to convince you that he is the one. Unfortunately not enough evidence can be found to convict him.

You try to put your life back together. You move to another house and try to help your daughter in any way you can, but it is clear that the experience has ruined her life and that of your family.

One evening you have taken your wife out to dinner at a restaurant when you spot your former neighbor at another table. He is eating alone and looks unhappy. You quickly finish eating and leave. The next day you find out that your former neighbors wife has been murdered. Enough evidence to convict him of the murder is soon found, and at first you are very happy, finally his will get what he deserves.

But then you remember that you saw him in the restaurant at the time of the murder. you know he did not murder his wife. Maybe he paid someone else to do it… You remember that the police said that it had been made it look like a burglary, maybe it was…

You sit down to think. If you keep quiet he will be convicted for the murder, and the real murderer will go free If you give him an alibi, he will go free, but you can’t be sure the real murderer will be found, and it is possible that the evil bastard paid someone to do it… What do you do?



Source: Top 10 Moral Dilemmas (http://listverse.com/2007/10/21/top-10-moral-dilemmas/)

[Kate!]

I would keep quiet. My child being the most precious thing in the world to me, I would want him to pay, so the end would justify the means in this case.

[Niamh.]

I'd let him rot in jail, besides him getting punished for my daughter, I'd probably be saving future victims.

[MTVN]

I'd keep quiet, you no he almost certainly raped your daughter so deserves a long sentence for that anyway, and it's still also possible that he was behind the murdering of his wife

[lostalex]

Well based on the information provided, we don't even know that he has molested your daughter. I'd tell the truth. If his lawyers came to me and asked if i'd seen him at the restaurant that night, i'd tell the truth, and i'd tell the truth in court too.

[lostalex]

I'd keep quiet, you no he almost certainly raped your daughter so deserves a long sentence for that anyway, and it's still also possible that he was behind the murdering of his wife

how is it possible he murdered his wife if you saw him at a restaurant by himself during the time of the murder?

[InOne]

Let him go to prison.

[InOne]

how is it possible he murdered his wife if you saw him at a restaurant by himself during the time of the murder?

A could've arranged a hitman

[MTVN]

how is it possible he murdered his wife if you saw him at a restaurant by himself during the time of the murder?

I said it was possible that he was behind it, like it says in the dilemma

[Ammi]

I'd do nothing....karma

[lostalex]

I said it was possible that he was behind it, like it says in the dilemma

IC yur saying he hired someone. OKay, well, i think yu should just take yur family away from the whole thing as far as possible, but don't lie to the cops.

[Marc]

He's lost his wife, that's karma.

[Crimson Dynamo]

I dont have neighbors as i live in the UK and its a lot safer.

[Z]

My friend said he'd blackmail the guy into admitting he raped your daughter to the police in exchange for you providing an alibi for him... which I thought was interesting. I don't think I'd have the balls to even try and pull that off though. I'd give him the alibi, I don't have any concrete proof that he raped my daughter but I'd make a point of telling the police my suspicions while exonerating him, it'd be better than doing nothing.

[Tom4784]

I'd let him rot, the whole having dinner alone thing makes it sound like he was creating an alibi for himself while a hitman did the job.

[Niall]

He could stay in jail for all I care. Sure what happened to him is sad, but snatching away the happiness and inoccence of my daughter is a crime that should, even if indirectly, be punished.

If I kept my mouth shut it'd give my kid some closure too. I could tell her what happened to him and that he's been sent away for a very long time. Anything to help her recover has gotta be good right?

[lostalex]

He could stay in jail for all I care. Sure what happened to him is sad, but snatching away the happiness and inoccence of my daughter is a crime that should, even if indirectly, be punished.

If I kept my mouth shut it'd give my kid some closure too. I could tell her what happened to him and that he's been sent away for a very long time. Anything to help her recover has gotta be good right?

but you don't know that he raped yur daughter, it's just yur speculation, according to the scenario.

how would you feel, if it turned out she was raped by the neighbor's son, and not the neighbor?

[Niall]

but you don't know that he raped yur daughter, it's just yur speculation, according to the scenario.

how would you feel, if it turned out she was raped by the neighbor's son, and not the neighbor?

Well if it appears to be the man that's been causing her the problems then I'd go with my gut and act on my speculations by not saying anything.

If it was someone else, then I'd probably offer up what I know to the police. I wouldn't tell my daughter about it though. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and though I would do all I could to get the police to track down the real culprit, I don't think its necessary or correct to worry my daughter with such goings on.

[MTVN]

I know we shouldn't really think about these scenarios too much but it makes no sense that he couldn't provide the alibi anyway, all he would have to do was tell police he was at the restaurant and then it could be verified by any number of customers/waiters/chefs etc.

[Angus]

No way I'd do anything to help him out. Let him take the rap - poetic justice. As for the real killer possibly killing again, I would weigh that up against a paedophile who has probably destroyed many young lives and will continue to do so unless he is stopped.

[Vicky.]

I would say nothing at all.

I would also be thinking that having dinner alone on the night your wife got murdered is suspicious to say the least...so this would make me think he arranged it somehow.

Zee...Tell your mate...even if you got him to admit raping your daughter, chances are he would get no ****ing sentence for it anyway, the law is **** like that :laugh:

[MTVN]

I didn't really think about it before but if you say nothing then that means the actual person who carries out the murder gets away completely free and if it is a hired hitman then the chances are he's going to go on to carry out more murders after that.. it's a very difficult one this

[Niamh.]

I didn't really think about it before but if you say nothing then that means the actual person who carries out the murder gets away completely free and if it is a hired hitman then the chances are he's going to go on to carry out more murders after that.. it's a very difficult one this

True but I think I'd want justice for my child more plus you'd be keeping a paedophile off the streets

[Doogle]

I'd say nothing. Even if he did nothing wrong, it's only a neighbour.

[MTVN]

True but I think I'd want justice for my child more plus you'd be keeping a paedophile off the streets

Yeah but you're also keeping a murderer on the streets :laugh:

[Vicky.]

Yeah but you're also keeping a murderer on the streets :laugh:

This is probably going to sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but I would much sooner have murderers walking the streets than paedophiles :/

I dont know...I just always thought interfering with children is the worst type of crime ever

[Z]

This is probably going to sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but I would much sooner have murderers walking the streets than paedophiles :/

I dont know...I just always thought interfering with children is the worst type of crime ever

Nah I get you... I think because with murderers, although they're taking a life away, and they're ruining the lives of those who knew the victim... a paedophile is ruining a person's life AND the lives of those who know the victim, and I'd imagine it's almost impossible to ever get over something like that.

[lily.]

I completely agree with that Vicky.

[Jords]

If I was convinced it was them, Id keep completely quiet. Justice and closure.

[Niamh.]

Yeah but you're also keeping a murderer on the streets :laugh:

This is probably going to sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but I would much sooner have murderers walking the streets than paedophiles :/

I dont know...I just always thought interfering with children is the worst type of crime ever

I agree with Vicky on this one tbh. Death is terrible but paedophilia is like torturing children

[Brother Leon]

I would bail him out just so I can lure him into a false sense of security and punish the pathetic excuse for a human myself.


Only then would I be fully satisfied.

[GypsyGoth]

He's scum. I would stay quiet and let him go to jail, and then I would pay someone in the jail to kill him.