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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be totally baffled (Ched Evans related)

828 replies

soapboxqueen · 19/10/2014 12:45

Just reading in the guardian that Ched Evans has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to review his case. That's fine because it is part of our due process and legal system.

However, in the article it points out that his girlfriend's father is paying for appeal barristers, private detectives and even offering a reward for information in order to help his appeal. Why would you do that? Why would you put up so much money to protect a person who at best (from their perspective at least) cheated on your daughter in a rather deplorable fashion and at worst a rapist? Why would got want your daughter to be with such a person?

I really don't understand.

I'll see if I can get the link to work.

OP posts:

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 23/10/2014 11:28

His website (or the one run by a third party) has a distinct smell of smear campaign against his 'alleged' victim. She isn't 'alleged', she is a victim, he was convicted of raping her. Her allegations were found to be true. That site makes me want to punch the internet.

MyEmpireOfDirt · 23/10/2014 11:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 11:50

Complainant is how the legal reports refer to her though so it's not unreasonable in itself.

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 23/10/2014 11:50

'the complainant who was alleged to have been raped'

'the woman he raped' or 'the woman he has been convicted of raping' would be more accurate. They are using language that makes out that his victim isn't even a person, it is totally dismissive of her.

purplefeathers · 23/10/2014 12:00

The 'letter from a brave lady' is awful too. A victim of rape herself whose rapist ws acquitted says:

"As a Charlton Athletic fan this was a massive story to come out to fans of football and at first I was in a situation of two sides as a victim myself I tried not to look into the story as I knew how it was going to affect me, until I saw this website I sat down and read through everything and Iâ??ll say this now, this girl is the reason why me and plenty other girls who are VICTIMS don't get justice.

I had a court case that had more evidence than you could chew, DNA etc. etc and still lost a case. Girls like this ruin lives, girls like this mess things up for girls like me, this justice system is corrupted.

Ched you need to fight this to the bare bones. This girls mind is screwed up and I hope she cannot sleep at night & I hope that soon enough this corrupted sickening justice system sees sense!"

Don't people see? The jury made the decision. And yes, it's notoriously difficult to get a conviction in a rape case, yet they got a conviction.

"Girls like this mess things up for girls like me". I'm sorry, I don't even understand that.

I think all the allegations of lying are what prevent rape victims from reporting rape when they should.

Sabrinnnnnnnna · 23/10/2014 12:00

Indeed, ifyou'rehoppy.

We can dispense with the "alleged" now - he has been convicted. He raped her.

The website is highly selective of the information it shows eg. it makes no mention of the cctv footage in the kebab shop when she was falling over and losing her bag. No mention of the taxi driver's of the receptionist's footage of her barely able to walk and slurring.

The judge did direct the jury to consider the 2 cases separately and he did say that she was too drunk to consent:

When he came to pass sentence the judge said: ".... [the complainant] was in no position to form a capacity to consent to sexual intercourse, and you, when you arrived, must have realised that."

Sabrinnnnnnnna · 23/10/2014 12:04

taxi driver's and receptionist's testimony, not footage.

DuelingFanjo · 23/10/2014 12:04

the other footballer, he actually got into the taxi she had flagged down for herself. This seems like quite predatory behaviour. Any decent person would have put her in the taxi and made sure she was safe. Instead he effectively stole her taxi and took charge of where it took her.

That to me is the behaviour of a rapist.

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 23/10/2014 12:09

That letter. Oh my word. I can't.

chaya5738 · 23/10/2014 12:16

They posted that letter on the website? WTF?

Next you know The Rapist Ched Evans will come out in support of "true rape victims."

purplefeathers · 23/10/2014 12:20

Yep, the full letter in all its glory is on the website.

I have to stop reading the website because it's really upsetting me. It's truly awful.

Amongst their list of 'evidence' to prove that the victim was fully coherent was that she managed to squat and urinate in a doorway. I mean, what?

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit · 23/10/2014 12:21

Squat in high heels, too. And drunk people can't even walk in high heels, let alone squat. That is their actual argument.

prh47bridge · 23/10/2014 12:24

That to me is the behaviour of a rapist

You are referring to the footballer who was acquitted. Are you certain she was not flagging down a taxi for both of them to use? I'm not clear what the evidence is on that point.

The judge did direct the jury to consider the 2 cases separately

I don't think anyone has said otherwise. It does nonetheless appear from his remarks during sentencing that he expected the same verdict for both accused.

he did say that she was too drunk to consent

Yes but that was part of his sentencing remarks. It does not constitute a ruling of the court. Indeed, if the judge had made such a ruling it would be grounds for appeal. Only the jury can decide how to interpret the evidence.

chaya5738 · 23/10/2014 12:27

[Yawn]

purplefeathers · 23/10/2014 12:29

What did the judge say during sentencing that would lead you to believe he expected the same verdict for both?

It's not the impression i get from what I've read.

Sabrinnnnnnnna · 23/10/2014 12:30

I'm not sure I understand the nitpicking ph47.

Ched Evans website, and appeal say otherwise. Many of Ched's supporters say otherwise.

If the judge says something in his sentencing summing up, I feel I'm safe to say it was the court ruling - but I'm not about to start arguing semantics with you.

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 12:30

PRH, that was the POV of one of the newspaper reports on the original trial; the flagging down was represented slightly differently in the summary of the court case for the appeal.

Appreciate your legal POV.

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 12:32

Sabrina, PRH is a lawyer and has said several times that posts aren't a judgement on the verdict but on the legal angles.

chaya5738 · 23/10/2014 12:38

That is true although PRH has also speculated on the jury's reasoning - saying that in her opinion they must have thought she was too drunk to consent.

It is starting to getting frustrating this rehashing of the evidence at trial and whether it was credible etc.

Why can't we just accept that she was raped and the verdict was sound?

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 12:45

I don't think that was PRH's opinion but another poster.

No one is refuting the verdict but people are answering points that come up

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 12:46

Also, no one is saying anything about credibility.

Upandatem · 23/10/2014 12:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chaya5738 · 23/10/2014 12:55

Actually Yonic, PHR said this:

"Personally I think the fact McDonald was acquitted suggests the jury thought she was not too drunk to consent since there was, as I understand it, no evidence to suggest she was more drunk when having sex with Evans than she was when having sex with McDonald."

That is pure speculation and helpful, imo.

MyEmpireOfDirt · 23/10/2014 13:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YonicScrewdriver · 23/10/2014 13:07

I think you missed a "not" in the first post I responded to, Chaya!

"That is true although PRH has also speculated on the jury's reasoning - saying that in her opinion they must have thought she was too drunk to consent"

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