Irish Rape Rugby Players Cleared as #IBelieveHer trends Twitter worldwide
 

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• Irish rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were both cleared of rape
• The stars had denied raping a woman following a night out in Belfast in 2016
• After the verdict, #IBelieveHer was trending on Twitter to support the woman
• Several protests will now take place across Ireland after four men were cleared

Protest rallies will be carried out across Ireland today after the #IBelieveHer hashtag trended on Twitter in support of the woman at the centre of a rugby rape trial.

Irish internationals Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were cleared of rape yesterday following a nine-week trial at Belfast Crown Court.

They were accused of sexually assaulting a woman when they went back to Jackson's flat after a night out in the capital city.

The court heard the pair were in a WhatsApp group which discussed having a 'spit roast' and said sex with the woman was 'like a merry-go-round'.



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The Belfast rally has been organised by Reclaim the Night Belfast, which is a group which is campaigning against harassment and gender-based violence.

On Facebook, the group wrote: 'The feminist movement is calling a rally in response to the impact of the recent rape trial in Belfast.

'There is a lot of anger and upset among women who have observed the treatment of the [woman] in this case and found it harrowing and re-traumatising.'



The jury was told that Olding allegedly wrote 'we are all top sh****rs, before adding: 'It was like a merry-go-around at a carnival.'

He also wrote: 'There was a bit of spit roasting going on last night fellas,' the court heard.

It is also alleged that Jackson replied on the same WhatsApp messaging service: 'There was a lot of spit.'

Messages in their group included jokes about 'pumping birds' and a photograph was shared with the caption 'Love Belfast s****.'

In one message, McIlroy posted a picture of himself and three girls who had been at the after party where the rape was alleged to have happened.

In another message also read out, McIlroy boasted: 'Pumped a bird with Jacko on Monday, roasted her, then another on Tuesday night.'

The hashtag #IBelieveHer was trending in the UK, Ireland and worldwide on Twitter just hours after the verdicts were returned.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...s-Twitter.html

Yes he got lucky

#ibelieveher

This story has disgusted me for a while now. The result was just the icing on the cake. She spent days and days being cross examined, her knickers were passed round court, videos of her genitals were shown to the court...it was as if it was her on trial, not them. But this tends to be the case in rape trials. More focus on the victim than the ones who committed the crime. And no, I won't say allegedly in this case, as I am positive they did do it. Even their own testimonies trip them up at times. Disgusting pigs.

#ibelieveher

I guess it all depends on what they mean by rape in this case

sounds a bit like Ched Evans again?

#ibelieveher

Not really, the one who was accused of perverting the course of justice, brought her home in a cab, the taxi driver said she was distressed and he was trying to calm her, then on the way back was having a coded sounding conversation with one of the men saying stuff like "it doesn't look good" etc

#ibelieveher

anyway what they are guilty of beyond reasonable doubt is being absolute disgusting, disrespectful scumbags who clearly view women as objects for their amusement and for that alone I hope the IRFU make the right call and don't ever let them play Rugby with Ireland again

Didn't know anything about this case but from what Niamh said it sounds like they are guilty as hell

Men like that the World Over
they won in the Court of Law
Northern Ireland

It was a British court Arista, Northern Ireland but the men play for Ireland as Rugby is an All Ireland sport

guilty of what?

rape? no

treating a girl like a blow up doll and humiliating her? probably yes

It's a tough one because what is likely to be true and what can actually be proven in court are two separate things, and sadly any sexual assault is very difficult to prosecute if there are no other witnesses. The same goes for an absolute tonne of these historic sexual assault cases where the accused walks out of court without charges; "not found guilty" is not the same as "proven innocent".

I also agree with that, they should face personal consequences for their conduct alone, even without the rape allegations.

Yes it was a British Court

Sorry my Error,

It's not as similar to the Ched Evans case as you make out tbf LT. She didn't forget the night or anything, she was obviously upset that night as reinforced by the cab driver who would have no vested interest. She confided in her friend the next morning, she turned down an offer of money to shut up about it by one of mens father, the medical examiner found bleeding in her vagina etc etc

Yes unfortunately cases like this are virtually impossible to prove, it comes down to one persons word against another (in this case one persons word against 4 others) I think the way the victims of abuse are treated in court though is appalling and it's no wonder the vast majority of rapes/sexual assaults go unreported.

How did she get into their hotel room 3 on 1?

You obviously no very little about the case considering you don't even know where it happened so I'm going to leave the conversation here with you.

I know what the article tells me and it does not say. I take it they did not kidnap her so Id expect its pertinent to the case and to why they were let off :shrug:

Oh I forgot you can't be raped unless you're kidnapped, silly me. It wasn't a hotel by the way, if the article says it is, it's an error

Timeline of events


Monday 27 June, 2016

16:30 BST - Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison meet up at Blane McIlroy's house in south Belfast to watch football.
Image caption The men went to the VIP area in Ollie's nightclub in Belfast city centre

19:00 BST - They go to Cutter's Wharf pub

23:00 BST - They go to VIP area in Ollie's nightclub in the city centre. The Northern Ireland football team is also there.
Tuesday 28 June, 2016

02:30 BST - they go back to Paddy Jackson's house in two taxis with four young women, including the 19-year-old woman at the centre of the case.

03:04 BST - the woman texts a friend. It reads: "Am back at Paddy Jackson's."

04:27 BST - Inside the house, Blane McIlroy texts Paddy Jackson. It reads: "Is there a possibility of a threesome?"

05:00 BST - The woman shares a taxi home with Rory Harrison. She is upset.

09:51 BST - The woman at the centre of the case texts a friend "worse night ever, so I got raped."
Image copyright PA/Press Eye
Image caption Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding have both been capped for Ireland

10:08 BST - She texts another friend saying she'd been raped by "Ulster rugby scum."

12:04 BST - Rory Harrison texts her. It reads: "Feeling better today?"

13:10 BST - She texts back: "I know you must be mates with those guys, but I didn't like them. And what happened was not consensual which is why I was so upset".

14:00 BST - She goes to the Brook Clinic, a sexual health centre in Belfast

19:00 BST - She goes to The Rowan, Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Antrim
Wednesday 29 June

09:47 BST - She contacts the police for the first time, by ringing 101
Thursday 30 June

10:45 BST - Police conduct first detailed interview with woman

Afternoon - Police contact Ulster rugby. Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding told to go to Musgrave police station where they are arrested. Police take a witness statement from Rory Harrison.

Evening - Blane McIlroy arrested.
Friday 1 July
Image caption Police took statements from Dara Florence, who appeared in the witness box during the trial

Police take a witness statement from Dara Florence, a woman who briefly went into Paddy Jackson's bedroom on the night in question.

She said she did not think it looked like a rape.

Tuesday 4 October

Police interview Rory Harrison as a suspect not a witness. Police re-interview Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding.
Tuesday 25 July, 2017

The Public Prosecution Service says there is "sufficient evidence to prosecute four individuals".

Wednesday 15 November

Paddy Jackson appears in court and pleads "not guilty" to charges of rape and sexual assault.

Blane McIlroy denies a charge of exposure. Rory Harrison denies withholding information and perverting the course of justice.
Image copyright Pacemaker
Image caption Rory Harrison and Blane McIlroy also denied the charges against them

Friday 17 November

Stuart Olding appears in court. He pleads "not guilty" to two charges of rape.
Friday 22 December

One of the rape charges against Stuart Olding is dropped.

Monday 29 January, 2018

The trial begins.

Wednesday 28 March, 2018

All four defendants are found not guilty of all the charges against them.

To me it looks like she got herself in a situation she regretted, was humiliated and cried rape and I guess that is what the trial also showed, hence they got off?

Its not to excuse the oiks who used her but justice has been carried out in this specific accusation.

That makes absolutely no sense. If you regret something, you just would not drag it out for months and put yourself through invasive medical exams, have your bits shown to a court room and such. You would just try to forget it.

Try to imagine being in a situation with someone you regret sleeping with. Like, would you then decide to 'cry rape' or would you just try to pretend it never happened at all? Would you go through loads of police questioning, medical exams, have your underwear passed round so strangers can see it...then spend days and days under intense cross examination? This just never makes any sense to me, tbh.

Well having heard and seen much more evidence than we have it appears the jury disagree with you

Well jurys usually do in rape cases tbh

Also the jury did not decide she 'cried rape' either. They decided there was not evidence beyond all doubt. Its very different.