A man who has a photo of you in bed with him is entitled to sex

[Bananamanfan]

AIBU in thinking the reporting of this story is totally irresponsible given the low reporting of rapes by victims.
The BBC are harping on about this FFS! It all perpetuates the myth that false accusations of rape are at epidemic proportions. I really think we are travelling backwards through time at the moment.

[IJoinedJustToPostThis]

I haven't seen the details of the case, I've just heard that because there are photos of the two cuddling, the trial collapsed. I hope there's more to it than that, otherwise no woman is ever safe to take a photo with a man.

[NewYearNewMe18]

Sensationalist reporting. We haven't actually been given any evidence or circumstances other than the photos have come to light.

She makes a rape accusation. He maintains he's innocent. Photos show her cozied up and smiling. Who do you think the jury are going to believe?

[Whatshallidonowpeople]

Were the pics taken the night the rape took place?

[IJoinedJustToPostThis]

Depends on the other evidence, I guess. Rape within relationships etc isn't exactly unknown.

[0ccamsRazor]

There really is a huge push back on women's issues by men.

Feels as though we are traveling back in time

Rape is rape, doesn't matter if someone has shared a bed, what about rapes within a relationship?

Fuck

[brownelephant]

yanbu
it ridiculous

even having had sex previously with consent doesn't mean he hasn't raped her.

I believe her.
the photos prove nothing and should be inadmissible as evidence.

[Andrewofgg]

The point is the failure of the police or the CPS or both to make proper disclosure to the defence of everything in their possession which undermined the prosecution case. If the complainant denied ever having been to bed with the defendant these photos undermined her credibility and were disclosable.

[BarbarianMum]

Of course it is possible to go willingly to bed with someone and still be raped. I'm guessing that the pictures significantly undermine the accuser's account in some way.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

It depends on her version of events. I don’t want to engage in detailed speculation but if she gave a timeline of the crime which is completely incompatible with this photo then of course it’s admissible.

[VikingVolva]

It the undermining of her account that is the issue.

Not that the undermining was by photographs.

Yes, false allegations are rare. That's why they make the news. And women who make them should be absolutely pilloried, because the harm done by false accusations is wholly disproportionate to their small number.

[Eltonjohnssyrup]

Nobody is saying what you complain in your thread title, don't be ridiculous OP. They were taken on the day, they met at the Notting Hill carnival and it happened that day.

It may well significantly undermine her account: e.g. she says that she was dressed the entire time and stayed in his living room and her raped her. Or that she didn't admit being consensually naked in bed with him.

Whatever it is the CPS have said there is no case to answer so it totally undermine it. Given that there have been and have almost been several miscarriages of justice recently due to suppressed evidence I find pitchfork waving and 'no smoke without fire' posts with deliberately misleading and inflammatory titles a bit distasteful.

[Eltonjohnssyrup]

Not aware of the myth that false accusations are epidemic yet perpetuating it in the same post? Nice.

A collapsed prosecution does NOT equal a false allegation. HTH

In the recent cases they have.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

elton

In the recent cases they have

Do you have evidence if this as I haven't been able to find any

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

Would also agree that it may be the reporting that is the issue

[PatriarchyPersonified]

The main issue I have with this case is that the CPS had previously examined the phone and decided there was nothing of interest on it. It then took a defence expert to find the pictures and raise this as an issue, at which point the case could not continue.

So we are expected to believe that the CPS thought that naked photos of the accused and the defendant together, taken at the same time the alleged rape took place, were not important?!

What a load of bollocks. Sounds like someone at the CPS was chasing a prosecution and it veers dangerously close to suppressing evidence.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

only moral and just belief should be that the raper isn't lying

What now

(Love the name...not keen on the posts )

[araiwa]

How can anyone say they do or dont believe either party without knowing the details of the case? Such a strange position to take.

A photo (maybe even with a time / date stamp) may be important evidence in the case. But again we have no idea about the specifics so we cant know

[Greatestshowgirl]

Can't see this story on bbc news?

[PatriarchyPersonified]

LINK

[SoupDragon]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42696986