Transgender boy in care drugged and raped

Man rapes child... IMO the only thing the judge should be thinking about when sentencing crimes like this.
The point of 'age of consent'should be that any mitigating circumstances normally allowed for consideration (rightly or worngly) in adult rape cases do not apply.
Behaviour, sex, gender, verbal consent, physical consent, did the victim say no loud enough, did the victim struggle, were drugs etc involved are all irrelevant.
The only question asked and answered should be did the adult have sex with the child?
Sickening.

The thing about calling views 'misguided', is that there have to be standards and clear public information in society about how you never, never treat a child if you don't want to go to prison.

Not idiots wittering about children's right to self expression and promoting kids dancing in gay bars as if it's normal and ok. And not people rushing to protect those idiots and their misguided views by deleting links to information and policing language to help shut down and prevent that misguided behaviour being pointed out.

I use the word 'misguided' while holding my nose.

This child was supposed to be 'in care'?! What's the point, really!

We're to believe that he was helping this child and teaching them by having sex that was enabled by drugs?
No matter what the sex of the child that's very wrong.
If the child presented as male, it smacks of the old 'turning a lesbian'.

Rape is rape is rape is rape is rape is rape ffs! At 14 yo there's no defence whatsoever, its rape, of an underage girl.

All stats are being distorted dangerously by reporting like this.

Oh well, just as many 'boys' as 'girls' get raped, no-one will know who's talking about what its got so ridiculous.

This type of shit will be putting an end to real male violence against women statistics. She has a girls body. It was a girls body he raped.

Fucking shit lawyers defending the indefensible

If I were the sentencing judge I’d give him extra time for running such foul arguments in mitigation. Vile, vile, vile

"Mr Westmore said Castles had misguided beliefs about adolescent sexuality and believed he was helping the victim.

"I thought it would be safer if the complainant learnt these things from me," he quoted from Castles."

I cannot believe anyone could take these comments in any way seriously. It's just so vile.

It wasn’t the judge it was the barrister, and I hope the pieces of silver he earned were worth it, repellent individual though he is.

Oh sorry, just saw it was not the judge but the defence lawyer.

"I was surprised at the judge's gross victim-blaming comments because for some reason I initially parsed this story as being about a male boy."

It's vile. I hope people will call for the judge to reprimanded, I cannot imagine how a judge could say such things.

When girls were groomed for sex and 'used as prostitutes by gangs', I know that terms such as child prostitute are used. How can a child ever be a prostitute. The judge should be sevearley reprimanded.

Homestar "I think the sex of the victim probably mattered to the judge."

I think you are entirely correct there.

How can a lawyer argue that a 14 year old "consented" and not be ridiculed. The law exists to protect children from predatory adults, no matter how "enthusiastically" a teenager might seek sex it is not legally possible for them to consent. I hate to appeal to a slippery slope logical fallacy but.......

"Mr Westmore said Castles had misguided beliefs about adolescent sexuality and believed he was helping the victim."

Don't most child rapists claim that children "want it really"?

Ithink the sex of the victim probably mattered to the judge

I agree.

Appalling

GHB was used by the serial killer Stephen Port to drug and rape his victims.

There are many reported accidental fatalities from the recreational use of GHB. The difference between a dose needed to get an enjoyable effect and a lethal dose is quite small.

The very idea of giving such a dangerous substance to a minor is repellent.

Minors cannot consent to sex and also incapacitated people cannot consent to sex. Horrible on so many levels.

I agree, Homestar. The classic victim blaming towards a female. I don't think most judges, or most people even, actually believe TWAW and TMAM - despite the mantra.

That judge would have seen a female victim, regardless of their presentation.

I think the sex of the victim probably mattered to the judge.

I was surprised at the judge's gross victim-blaming comments because for some reason I initially parsed this story as being about a male boy. Now I understand it's about a female boy it's much less surprising.

(I'm open to being wrong, I don't have that much data on how judges behave when male children are raped. )

QuietContraryMary "Well I think it does if they are in care, confused, damaged, etc., and then role playing as a gay man"

Yes, I absolutely agree. But an adult male drugging and penetrating a 14 year old boy would also be an evil crime. The additional element for the female child is risk of pregnancy. Of course. But what I meant was, whether the victim was female or male the crime is vile.

This has nothing to do with mermaids.

Didn't we have a similar case here where a girl went onto a dating ap and then was abused and there was loads of sympathy for the abuser.

This is about the abuse of a vulnerable child in care, victim blaming and pathetic sentences.

How can anyone consent after GHB??

This happened to a child - children cannot consent regardless of whether they went on grindr or not.

What a disgraceful decision.

These children are just so vulnerable to predators who will use their confusion about their gender to abuse them, and then again to get off with it without consequences. A child being confused about their gender or sexuality is not a defence for raping them.

Murderers are getting off because their victims “consented”.