AIBU to think the judge’s comments in this case are completely inappropriate?

what a deeply offensive post. I have reported it.

So help me out here. Using your example, which rape victim would be the equivalent of the crown jewels and which the loaf of bread? Who's fair game?

I'm guessing that poor girls from Rotherham and the like are the latter.....

Vase - what you are describing (understanding that the judge is applying guidelines, disagreeing with those guidelines and thinking this demonstrates a poor justice system) is entirely logical.

That’s not what is being questioned here. The DM is painting a picture of a system where judges can do as they please and what they please is to let rapists off leniently and downplay their crimes. That’s the whipping up bit. Readers are accepting that and calling for the judge to be removed from the bench and have their hard drive checked. You wouldn’t be directing your ire against the judge personally if you thought they were constrained in their sentencing - makes no sense. So, I’d say that constitutes these readers having been pretty well whipped up!

The degree of psychological harm the girl suffered directly relates to the sentencing guidelines he has to follow.

The idea that being raped as a child isn't massive psychological harm is gobsmacking. I expect that if the judge was raped by a man bigger and stronger than him he wouldn't just shrug it off!

@Yuasa

Why do you keep repeating this phrase “whipped up”?

“The intention is presumably to whip up anger about soft judges and the dire state of our justice system”

People are capable of reading the details of this case from a variety of sources and coming to their own conclusions; perhaps that our justice system is indeed in a dire state, and not fit for purpose. That’s a reasonable opinion. The public can be angry about what they perceive to be the injustice without having been ‘whipped’ into it.

questioning sources is the opposite of "being part of the problem"

The DM might be accurate for once, but if you blindly believe everything that is written, you are the reason why we're in the mess we are in today

"If it's on the internet it must be true" is beyond stupid.

He was found guilty of raping a child!! What other information do you need? He is dangerous and just because there are “specific standards” doesn’t make him any less so.

The DM story is misleading as it leads the reader in the title and in the first paragraphs that 1) these are the judge’s personal views and 2) the judge had full / considerable latitude in sentencing according to personal views. It is only in the final section that consideration of the sentencing guidelines is referred to. By that point uncritical readers - if they even get that far - have already formed a view.

The intention is presumably to whip up anger about soft judges and the dire state of our justice system, and going by comments on here and the DM website it has worked. People are attacking the judge.

Being uncomfortable with this manipulation by the media and concerned by how easily people fall for it is a completely separate issue from both the crime itself - which not a single person on here has defended, despite smears to the contrary - and the sentencing guidelines themselves.

It is entirely possible to be appalled by a crime and also think accurate reporting and applying critical thinking to reporting are important. Again, I don’t see how victims are helped by us casting aside reason.

Do you believe in the rule of law?

Whether this individual was sentenced to life or waved off on his way, I still suspect some posters’ chief aim is that, as he slots into their victimhood hierarchy, we must look the other way .

In this case it was a stranger accosting a young girl and attacking her. Frankly that’s most females’ worst nightmare. It happened to me (although I managed to flee) decades ago and I am still nervous with a pounding heart in quiet areas.

The ^nothing to see here” attitude is astounding when this is a site for women. And mothers, come to that.

Thank you for the “advice” - I will continue to fight for the rights of women and girls through my charity work.

Remember - it’s not that long ago that marital rape was not illegal - just because it’s “the law” doesn’t make it ok.

No one here is arguing that he isn’t dangerous in the convential use of the word but the judge is making a legal judgment made using specific criteria. He either meets that already set criteria or he doesn’t. In this case the judge has taken
the facts of the case and compared them to the criteria. If you feel he hasn’t correctly applied the criteria then your local MP’s should be able to direct you in how to find the info to make a complaint.

He was found guilty of raping a child!! What other information do you need? He is dangerous and just because there are “specific standards” doesn’t make him any less so.

I honestly despair sometimes - what goes through some people’s heads to think there is anything remotely ok about this? In what parallel universe can a child rapist not be deemed dangerous?

The Met press release.

https://news.met.police.uk/news/man-jailed-for-7-years-for-rape-498893

Detective Inspector Donnett Oseni, who led the investigation, said:

“Amini’s attack on this vulnerable girl was predatory and calculated. He has demonstrated himself to be a dangerous sexual offender and this sentence prevents him from harming anyone else.
“I want to commend the victim for her courage in coming forward and reporting this offence to us. I hope today’s verdict will bring her and her family some semblance of closure.”
In August 2024, Amini approached the victim in broad daylight on North End Road in Croydon, persistently tried to engage her in conversation and would not leave her alone when told. He then followed her down North End Road and into an alleyway.
Here, he forcibly kissed her and tried to put a cannabis joint into her mouth. He also told her that he was friends with someone who recently stabbed a person in the area, making the victim scared that he may have a knife. Amini then raped her.
The victim reported the assault to police and received safeguarding and support from specialist officers.
Amini was convicted on Thursday, 1 January following a two-week trial at the same court.

This is which I hate the media with a vengeance. They so know who to attract sensationalism, and therefore money, by twisting interpretation in a way that those less educated, less capable of unbiased assessment, their views driven by drama.

It's the same whatever the headline. How hard is it to distinguish one's view on a crime, from the view of the person giving the sentence bound by legal policies they have no control over.

Blame or judge the legal system, not the person who might themselves be questioning their role in the process.

Important to remember that 90% of rapists don’t spend a day in prison. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but at least this guy is actually in prison.

2 limited quotes without everything the judge says is not the full information.

Other posters have also explained that the dangerous the judge is refering to and mental harm are both measured against specific standards. This is a big part of the full information.

But the information is detailed there so it’s not jumping to conclusions.

Agree with all of this. They are legal terms that have set criteria; having been based on the reports provided during trial and not subjective opinion on the abhorrent nature of the crime. It can be hard to look at it in this manner, but that is how the process works

Is the judge not talking in the law guidelines - the different thresholds that have to be legally proven?

Please explain your logic.

And say clearly what it is you see. It would be good to be clear on what I’m being accused of and on what basis.

Rubbish. The thread is about the judge’s comments.

It’s perfectly reasonable to consider how and why stories, particularly emotive ones, are reported the way they are.

This thread is a real insight into mob mentality - anyone who doesn’t agree or show what is deemed to be an appropriate level of fury is sanctimoniously slurred as a rape apologist. There are utterly dim posts about checking hard drives.

Quite how you think you’re helping or standing up for victims of crime (or how questioning reporting is harming them) is beyond me.

I refer you to the comments about checking the judge’s hard drive because he has apparently not gone outside of the boundaries of his authority when it comes to sentencing.

Imagine coming on a thread about a raped child and whatabouting and trying to muddy the waters.

We all know what you are. All of us.