Why should it? Statutory rape means the person (consenting or not) is below the age where her consent means anything. So whether or not she persued this should be irrelevant

Because I think there's a difference between aggressively forcing a situation and consenting to an illegal situation - to others that might not be important and I respect that but to me, there is a difference and I can't ignore that.

..but he can't have verified her age because she was 13yrs old and if he was in anyway not sure of that, then he shouldn't have taken her back to his house, for me a 41yr old shouldn't be taking any 'unknown' girl in a school uniform back to his house no matter how old she looks to him or how 'grown up' she acts because she wasn't a grown up Zee, she was a child...if a child gets into the car of a stranger, apparently willingly..is that any of that child's fault..?...why is it not 100% his responsibility when she was a child..



the analogies aren't really right though because they don't compare with each other like for like, which this does...she's no less violated or abused because she might not have struggled or said no, it was up to him to not allow it to happen...

But the whole reason that there is an age of consent is because 13 year olds are not legally allowed to make that decision for themselves, it's there to protect them from themselves as well as from adults who might take advantage of them.

Yeah... I think Livia's point is a very good one... where is the criticism of her parents or guardians in all of this? A crime was committed and a young girl has either had her life ruined, or it was already in some form of disrepair because she was seeking out a sexual encounter with an older man.

I don't think anyone's suggesting that the girl was able to consent, nor that the man wasn't 100% in the wrong. The outcry in the press as far as I can see seems to centre around the comments that the girl was sexually experienced and predatory. She is thirteen years old.

While the man is undoubtedly 100% to blame and in my opinion should have been jailed, the fact that there are 13 year old girls in this country who are both sexually active and sexually provocative, and that some people are not deeply concerned by that, is a damning indictment on the whole of our society.

''you cannot wave an uncorked bottle in front of an alcoholic and then be outraged when they take a drink''.

This is probably the single most disgusting thing I have ever read on this forum and makes a mockery women everywhere who protest against the premise that the way women dress and act in some way justifies the abuse they suffer...
What makes it all the more disgusting is that it was said in the defence of a man who assaulted a child and not a woman.
There is no grey area in law it is black and white there should be no 'extenuating circumstances' that excused this man from his actions, sex with a 13yr old is illegal consensual or not for a reason.

http://slutmeansspeakup.org.uk/

''The protest movement was sparked by a Canadian policeman who advised students to "avoid dressing like sluts" to avoid being victimised.

Since then, thousands of people worldwide have taken to the streets to highlight a culture in which they say the victim, rather than the abuser, is blamed''

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13739876

Oh yeah, I do agree that her parents need to be looked at and questioned for sure. But I'm talking just about the situation between the man and the child and as far as I'm concerned in that situation between those two, blame lays solely at his feet

..yeah, I totally agree, I feel that she was let down badly before she was in that man's house and then sadly let down further by the courts...

And a Lady Judge to take his place

Don't imagine for a minute that female judges make fewer dubious decisions than male judges. In my humble opinion they're mostly out of touch with reality.

I think they're still refereed to as judges, and not "lady judges".

The fault does lie entirely at the feet of the man, in my opinion. The girl did not commit an illegal act, he did. Unfortunately, this only highlights what a lot of women who bring these kind of cases to court are faced with. I attended court with a family member who had been raped (date rape) and she was faced with similar comments from the prosecutor and witnesses about her sexual history and her life was effectively ruined by bringing this case to court (in her mind) and now has no faith in the justice system and would never advise anyone to make a complaint as the mistakes made and slurs implied were devastating, not taking into account the state she was in on the night of the assault, the physical evidence, bruising, bleeding etc all the prosecution were interested in was that she was a single girl with a past...anyway, my point in this is that this happens regularly in cases such as these where the victim bears (wrongly) the blame for the assaults and in my opinion the justice system needs reviewing on this. This is only in the press as this victim is an underage girl but it is a pitfall that faces a lot of women when they are brave enough to face their abuser and speak out in a court.

Very good point

I completely agree that the man in question is 100% in the wrong, and like I've said numerous times before, in my opinion he should have been jailed.

Thing is though, some 13 year olds ARE predatory and provocative, but sadly, without being skilled in making good decisions like a grown woman might. They look like women, they dress like women... but they're children. If a woman wants to dress provocatively, she has the mental capacity to deal with unwanted attention on a much higher level than a child would in the same situation. The sexualisation of children is an issue in our society and one that needs sorting.

I think this is a ridiculously exaggerated response and pretty rude

It is my opinion marc...
This is not the subject to be throwing around your glib responses either.

Excuse me?

And how exactly would you describe your response to Livia then?

I'm not being drawn out on this, if you didn't like my tone that is your issue but I expressed how I felt and my response reflects that.

I don't feel I need to draw you out at all.

Good for you, so carry on expressing your opinion and don't question mine.

Sure
I am just saying a Lady taking his job would be better

..what I do find slightly ironic as well is that this ruling has been made and this leniency been inappropriately shown for such a crime when the government are discussing bans on the internet to help prevent paedophilia and protect young people, I know this isn't an internet case but I find that very ironic and not sending the signal of what apparently is hoped to be achieved, which is to protect the child...

Are we now accusing the judge of being sexist? I'm fairly confident that his decision had nothing to do with his gender, nor does his gender have anything to do with his abilities.

HA! You questioned Livia's though, why can you question hers and I'm not allowed to question yours? :laugh: Ridiculous

No he is a Dirty Old Judge,
his gender does come into this.

Incredible.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...69_306x456.jpg
Judge Nigel Peters has been criticised after
describing a sex abuse victim as 'predatory'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2bHumM1KE

Marc. what are you trying to achieve here?
You suggested my response was exaggerated; It wasn't.
How would I describe my response? Apt.
Are we done now?

If that's what you want to believe.

It's what I know to be the truth marc.

I wouldn't wish to comment on this case because we, the public, only ever get told a fraction of the story.

I would merely observe that in a country like, for example, Spain this case would never even have come to court. Why? Because the age of consent is 13 in Spain. Funny old world isn't it?

Well what do you know! Good on Spain for finally changing it!

Yeah, jeez about time too

Marriage at 14 especially is completely obscene, I don't know if it's frowned upon in Spain but what kind of family would be comfortable with their 14 year old getting married?

I know, it's probably one of those really old laws that they were too lazy to get around to changing

I think this is the most important point. A 13 yr old can look and act like a grown woman but a 13yr old is definitely not a fully grown woman. IMO a 16 yr old isnt a grown woman either. The man took advantage of her no matter what she said or did or how she was dressed.

Spain is only 'consulting' on the age of consent. It is still 13.

I know that, I never said otherwise, but they obviously feel it's not right if they're planning on raising it