police who ignored a 17 y/o girl with mental health problems when she reported a rape should not have been given the option to retire on their pensions

[agentEgypt]

This is the story about Hampshire police who ignored this 17 year old girl when she tried to report a rape, and instead said they would charge her for perverting the course of justice and this made her self harm more and attempt suicide.

However she did get legal help and eventually they settled out of court. However 4 of the cops involved were given the option yo retire!

IMO they should have not been given this option, legally charged and have their entire pension removed.

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

Narky? I thought I was being helpful

Tone is tricky in writing sometimes isn't it.

[Nicknacky]

Look at your first reply and tell me it doesn't read sarcastically. "Thousands upon thousands employed". That's fairly obvious but is a massive spectrum.

Like you said, it's all in the tone.

[BathtimeFunkster]

Sorry to hear you have experienced similar, TheBlackRider.

But of course sexism and misogyny has been elimated from the police.

No, no, it wasn't just a few years ago that officers in a specialist sex crime unit were found to be deliberately sabotaging cases so no charges could be brought.

Oh no. The police all love women now and totally believe in rapes.

[Waitingfordolly]

Interesting that in this horrific case for a young woman with mental health problems a huge number if not the majority of posts are more concerned with the police officers' pensions being taken away rather than the impact on this young woman and other women's reporting of rape.

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

Oh I dunno, I think lots of people would be surprised by the number of officers.

I'm always amazed when I hear how many people are employed by the NHS, even though I already know it's loads!

[Nicknacky]

I'm not, I'm employed by Police Scotland which is why I know how many employees there are! But there is only roughly 17 thousand in Scotland which is why I asked before googling myself.

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

waiting we know that there is a huge problem with people being deemed "worthy" or not, and that judgements the police make on the worth of a person in front of them leads into some terrible actions. Of course the police doing this are a part of society and society makes similar judgements also.

So police officer = worth lots and lots (even if proven to be corrupt / incompetent / malicious etc) and

Teenage girl who has been in trouble with the police and has mental health problems = worth very little indeed

It is apparent that if this girl didn't have a very determined family she would not have got an apology or compensation and none of us would know about what happened. We don't know how much her family was a component in managing to get the rapist prosecuted and the charges against the victims dropped. Sadly most people don't have very determined families and the end to this story could have been very different indeed.

We can see judgements of this type hampering and hindering victims in getting listened to around sex offences for decades, this is what's in the news almost every day isn't it. And of course many judges comments even with successful prosecutions show these judgements around value of victim / criminal going on.

[TTWK]

They were quite happy to let her rapist walk free

Well that's not really true is it. They didn't think she had been raped. That's the point. They didn't do their jobs properly. So they weren't happy to let a rapist walk free because they hadn't investigated it properly so didn't think he was a rapist. Had they known he was a rapist, I doubt they would have been happy for him to walk free, given that the police have mothers, daughters wives and sisters.

Also, regarding misogyny and sexism in the police, much of the work on rape cases is now done by female officers. Where do they fit into that culture that's so widespread?

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

What do you think should have happened to the officers, TTWK?

[Anniegetyourgun]

Interesting that in this horrific case for a young woman with mental health problems a huge number if not the majority of posts are more concerned with the police officers' pensions being taken away rather than the impact on this young woman and other women's reporting of rape.

I am extremely concerned about the impact on the young woman, and the however many rape victims we've never even heard about who have been denied justice at best and killed themselves at worst. I am appalled that the police officers in the case seem to have got away without penalty. However I argued the point about the pension because I don't think that is a good route to go down, for more reasons than one. Other punishments are available, they just didn't get delivered, which IMO they should have been.

If this were a thread about a murder and the OP had ended up with a call for the murderer to be hanged, one might surely take issue with the death penalty suggestion without being accused of not caring about the victim?

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

I think that people would say well I don't think they should be hanged but definitely lock em up and throw away the key / life should mean life / not let out until definitely rehabilitated & etc and so on a lot of opinions.

That's what usually happens on threads where people are suggesting execution and I think the other poster is a bit surprised that while some posters have said well obviously they should be punished but I don't agree with the pensions idea, many have not touched on the fact that these officers have got away with no punishment whatsoever. Speaking for that poster obviously that's maybe not what she meant & of course there are posters who have said I think they should be punished but this isn't the right way. I suppose having one who is defending the action taken against them (ie here's an easy way out and effectively a reward assuming they get full pension without having to put the full years in) affects how the balance of responses feel as well.

The action the govt want to take to stop this is really interesting, showing that they are more on the same page as the OP than the balance of opinion on the thread if I read things correctly.

[TTWK]

What do you think should have happened to the officers, TTWK?

The overwhelming priority is to get them off the force, so that no one else has to suffer from their incompetence.

After that it's for the police federation lawyers, investigating senior officers, and others involved and who KNOW ALL THE FACTS ABOUT THEIR SERVICE HISTORY and all the other factors to make a decision on how best to achieve that in the way that leaves the force immune from legal complications, possible expensive court cases for unfair dismissal etc etc.

Sacking someone who you've employed for 30 yrs, and who may have commendations for bravery or whatever else, is not straight forward.

So I can't really answer you question, because I am not in possession of those facts. Are you?

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

I see.

What do you think of the govt proposals linked upthread? To stop police officers resigning / retiring in order to avoid disciplinary action for gross misconduct.

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

This bit (to save you scrolling if you missed it earlier):

"From 1 December 2013 to 1 August 2014, 144 officers resigned or retired whilst subject to a gross misconduct investigation, preventing them from being held to account for their actions.

A chief officer or Police and Crime Commissioner will only be able to consent to an officer’s resignation or retirement if they are deemed medically unfit or in other exceptional circumstances, for example where a covert criminal investigation could be prejudiced.

These regulations aim to ensure that officers are held to account for their actions, that the truth can be established, that victims of police misconduct and their families are provided justice and that the police learn the full lessons of each incidence of serious misconduct."

[Anniegetyourgun]

Sadly most people don't have very determined families and the end to this story could have been very different indeed.

Apart from the effect on the poor woman and her family, the consequence would have been one more mark on the "false accusation" tally, and would go on to be quoted as yet another example of a woman conspiring to ruin an innocent man's life If she had succeeded in killing herself it would have been taken as even more evidence that she must have been making it up because she was obviously unstable. You know the drill.

[LilMissSunshine9]

yabu purely because taking the emotion out of it here is a person(s) who made a mistake whether its private or public sector the correct way is that the person can be sacked if its gross misconduct etc. not to go after their pension. Then legal action can then be taken against them if need be.

[WhirlpoolGalaxyM51]

True, annie.

[TTWK]

Bathtimefunkster,
What a disgraceful post. Not worth responding to. You should be ashamed.