AIBU to think he deserve to be in PRISON, its abuse!

[LittlePeaPod]

Braving the AIBU forum.. I genuinely want to know if IABU and hope this doesn't go against MN talk guidelines. Sensitive subject I know but I want to hear what you think.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23004956

Personally, I totally agree with the fact this teacher has been prosecuted and I think he should serve every single day of the five and a half year sentence. To make it clear if the situation was different and this was a female teacher I would expect her to be prosecuted too.

In my eyes all of the points below tantamount to child abuse, grooming and a criminal offence. Made worse by the fact he was in a position of influence and trust:

• sexually kissing a 14 year old girl in the classroom, that you teach her in
• starting to have sex with a 15 year old pupil in her uniform in your car, hotels and your own marital home
• sending what sounds to be sexually explicit texts, picture messages, tweets and emails
• calling her mother and lying about rumours which he knew were true. Making it look like her daughter was making it up and making the mother feel bad about her daughters behaviour
• taking a child out of the country without her parents consent, on your wife's stolen passport
• and god only knows what else!

I don't care how mature she may look or sound. I think the whole "this is a misunderstood love story" is a load of BS. I don't care if she agreed to go to France or willingly slept with him, his still in the wrong. Bottom line is he was the adult, in a position of trust and influence. It was his responsibility to put a stop to this, tell the school or her parents about her crush. But he didn't, instead he took advantage of a young vulnerable teenage pupil with a crush on her teacher.

In my opinion his a criminal and should be locked up for every day of the five and a half years. Adults sleeping with children can't not use the excuse "ohhhhh but it was/is love". Where do we draw the line 12, 13 years old? Why any parent would think his sentence is harsh s beyond me. Would they be happy to hand their 14/15 year old children over to 30 year old adults?

Ladies and gentlemen (I know there are one or two out there), am I been unreasonable?

See its the 2 people in love bit I dont get. Surely if it was love it would have waited until she was older than the age of consent and he was no longer her teacher.

Now it will HAVE to wait. Shame!

The sentence reflects the number of charges against him as well as his status.

The case is not comparible to Hall (though that sentence is laughable). Hall was not a teacher.

Google similar teacher-pupil cases, not Hall. There are quite a few, of both sexes. You will see that he has had a much longer sentence than most. That is where many perceive injustice.

But as I noted, his lawyers could have appealed the sentence, but have so far not, which is interesting.

As per usual, the complete blind spot many people seem to have about this is any notion that Forrest, as a man, should have exercised restraint and judgment, and had a sense of responsibility and protectiveness towards this girl.

I would call those things natural attributes of any mature adult, male or female. But to some people (those posting and speaking in his defence), men seem primarily to be sexual beings unable to control their physical urges who therefore cannot and should not be expected to do so. Faced with a lovestruck, vulnerable, physically developed 15 year old girl, apparently there was only one possible outcome. And we should all say 'Awww' and call it a love story (the classic cover-up for sexual predators throughout the ages).

These are the same people who have the cheek to call feminists anti-men.

I imagine the longer sentence reflects the abduction aspect, and the fact he put everyone through a trial (how could there ever have been a defence to the abduction, thinking about it) when he should clearly just have pleaded.

"You will see that he has had a much longer sentence than most. That is where many perceive injustice. "

I think this may be because of the abduction and also because of the fact that the story the girl gave changed as well as the other things he did to try to cover it up. summing up it's all there in the summing up, he was very manipulative for a very long time and then continued to be so even when it came to court. The sentencing has reflected all of this.

"You have contested the abduction charge raising a spurious defence, so that she had to give evidence, evidence very different in content from her original account and designed to support it. She had clearly received assistance in relation to what she should say."

Perhaps if he had held up his hands and not tried to defend himself over what was clearly an abduction in the eyes of the law, perhaps if he hadn't left it to a child to defend him... then maybe the judge would have been more sympathetic. Basically the law is saying to him 'you tried to cover it up several times pre-abduction and then continued to show no responsibility for your actions and so we are going to deal with you as harshly as we can'?

X-posts EldritchCleavage

Lazy Afaics a very few people think he shouldn't be in prison as the OP claims, just as a few people think it should be 20 years plus, but both are outliers

Actually Lazy I am not claiming anything. My original note is based on observations from posts on articles, to FB support groups, journalist articles (The Times for one), MN members (on other threads). There are a large number of grown adults (some of which will be parents) that believe JM should not be in prison or should have received a very light sentence. These people think his sentence was to harsh and he should have received a slap on the wrist for his immature decisions etc. , did some community service, stopped from teaching etc. Others think this is some sort of love story and the authorities / society should allow JM and the child to carry on with the relationship and he should never have been prosecuted in the first place. It's rife and appalling in my opinion! However there is also a debate regarding the sentence he received in comparison to others in a similar situation. To be fair, I believe he received the right sentence and others that received less should have got harsher punishment. The problem with the sentence comparison debate is we do not have information relating to why each case was sentenced in the way it was (what happened in court, strength of evidence against each person or charges livid etc.) and therefore most people can only make assumptions. But should be rightfully applaud that other convicted sex offenders get off with slaps on the writs (Hall)! IMHO we should be looking for ways to toughen our stance in the UK on sex offenders, particularly child sex offenders. The whole poor JM he got it harder than the others and its not fair sentiment is utter BS. I think well done justice system for putting him away for so long and please can we have a similar tough stance on other convicted sex offenders in the future.

I actually think this is a fairly measured interview from the sister APART from the need to blame his wife for his behaviour. It's just a shitty way to behave. I have very little doubt that if the victim hadn't been so willing to support him in court they would also be blaming her.

I saw the part of the sisters interview on the news. She seemed to be very much painting it as a love story and talked about them being together when he is released. She made me quite angry actually.

I feel so sorry for his wife. I didn't get the impression they'd been married that long. I don't see how she should shoulder any blame. He was the adult in the situation responsibility for this is solely his. Even if the 15 year old stripped and danced seductively he should have said no. It was immoral due to him being her teacher and because he was married, and that's without adding statutory rape into the equation.

I really hate this, poor defenceless men corrupted by these harlots handing it to them on a plate thing. It's totally insulting to all the men that can manage to keep it in their pants, which I would think is he majority. It also paints teenage girls as the sexual predators which is a very damaging stance to take as it leads to victim blaming.

Binary I totally agree. I haven't seen the interview or had an opportunity to review the link above. I will try and see later but it's applauing how the family are trying so hard to blame pretty much anyone and everything to jusitify his behaviour..

He deserves every day of his sentence, I hope he serves the full term not out in 2 years or whatever (( why do they always do that ))

Sadly tho, I think the prison term will have a huge negative impact on the girl, because she will stand by him and pine for him until his release, hopefully realising he's a grubby old man a year or so down the line, sad fact is had they just been left to get on with it she'd have been over him and seen him for what he was a lot sooner.

Thank god he can't target any other girls where he is tho, which is the important thing.

This is my teacher from school and I don't want to even think about how much money my parents spent to send me there.

Yeuch. They are everywhere.

Jail is too good for 'em