[Tom4784]

Sheriff, you pretty much embody the reason why reports and conviction on rape are so low. Why would anyone want to come forward when they'll be met with countless people with attitudes like yours?

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Sheriff, you pretty much embody the reason why reports and conviction on rape are so low. Why would anyone want to come forward when they'll be met with countless people with attitudes like yours?

If people are being mocking / aggressive, or suggesting the perpetrators don't deserve punishment for this reason, then I agree, but I also think it should be possible to point out risky behaviour whilst still sympathising with the victim. The problem otherwise is that you are implying that "this ISN'T risky" which makes others less likely to consider it a risk in future.

And again... It clearly IS a risk. It shouldn't be one, rapists shouldn't exist, but it is, and they do, and always will. Shouldn't happen doesn't = won't happen, or even is unlikely to happen.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

If people are being mocking / aggressive, or suggesting the perpetrators don't deserve punishment for this reason, then I agree, but I also think it should be possible to point out risky behaviour whilst still sympathising with the victim. The problem otherwise is that you are implying that "this ISN'T risky" which makes others less likely to consider it a risk in future.

And again... It clearly IS a risk. It shouldn't be one, rapists shouldn't exist, but it is, and they do, and always will. Shouldn't happen doesn't = won't happen, or even is unlikely to happen.

Thanks ts.

[Cherie]

I guess the issue here is that they weren’t “strangers” as such and at 19 she was maybe a bit starsruck, she didn’t travel back to the house on her own as other females were going as well, so in terms of risk it wasn’t up there wth going home on your own with two joe bloggs

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

If people are being mocking / aggressive, or suggesting the perpetrators don't deserve punishment for this reason, then I agree, but I also think it should be possible to point out risky behaviour whilst still sympathising with the victim. The problem otherwise is that you are implying that "this ISN'T risky" which makes others less likely to consider it a risk in future.

And again... It clearly IS a risk. It shouldn't be one, rapists shouldn't exist, but it is, and they do, and always will. Shouldn't happen doesn't = won't happen, or even is unlikely to happen.

There's risk in everything, we don't say 'well, this person got murdered but he didn't think of the risks before he got killed so...'

Like Niamh said, she was young and starstruck. She wasn't just going off with random strangers, she was going off with well known people and she probably felt safer for it. The problem here isn't her lack of judgement but the fact that these people abused the trust she had in them, as misplaced as it might be.

Rape goes unreported and unpunished far too much because most victims don't want to be put on trial when they are already in a vulnerable position. Even mentioning the risks she took takes blame away from her attackers. The courts, in these cases, need to focus less on the victim and how they can blame her for what happened and more on establishing whether consent was given or if the victim was even in a position to give consent.

Everything else is just noise.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

There's risk in everything, we don't say 'well, this person got murdered but he didn't think of the risks before he got killed so...'

Like Niamh said, she was young and starstruck. She wasn't just going off with random strangers, she was going off with well known people and she probably felt safer for it. The problem here isn't her lack of judgement but the fact that these people abused the trust she had in them, as misplaced as it might be.

Tbf I've kind of veered off into talking about this sort of situation in general rather than this specific case, it sounds like a fairly unusual situation, and I also think the issue of real consent in general in these situations becomes quite murky - people who are "starstruck" or if it's with an individual who holds some power, they might even verbally consent to something they don't actually want to do or are uncomfortable with, out of fear of what happens if they don't. Is that even real consent then? But how do you legislate for those issues?

Rape goes unreported and unpunished far too much because most victims don't want to be put on trial when they are already in a vulnerable position. Even mentioning the risks she took takes blame away from her attackers. The courts, in these cases, need to focus less on the victim and how they can blame her for what happened and more on establishing whether consent was given or if the victim was even in a position to give consent.

I do agree with that, there needs to be some sort of major overhaul of how sexual assault cases are put through the courts in general so that it's handled sensitively and considerately no matter what the outcome is. Victims privacy needs to be respected whether the accused is found guilty or otherwise, the potential damage to the mental health of a victim is absolutely massive, even if there is a conviction, and it's little wonder that people don't want to put themselves through it.

On the flipside - whether people want to believe it or not - there ARE false allegations made sometimes, and the lives of innocent people can be ruined off the back of them even if it all comes out. Mud sticks, so to speak.

If it was all handled with more of a sense of decency and privacy in the first place, many of those problems could be tackled.