Cliff Richard

[currytoohot]

In light of the CPS deciding not to charge Sir Cliff, AIBU to think the BBC should set aside as much air time in broadcasting this announcement as it did when it the police were first involved?

claiming that someone who is an abuser must have been abused

That's not what I said though, is it?

It's ridiculous to make a fuss about the BBC when every other news outlet gave this, if anything, more publicity than they did. Some of them under the rather obviously false guise of holding their hands up in horror at the BBC.

Nor is it what i said.
Imo people who rape and abuse have grown up thinking they are entitled to take what they want and the cost of others. Sometimes this is because someone did the same to them as a child, others its just plain old often white male upbringing to believe they are better than everyone else.
And before anyone builds a straw man out of that, i am not for a second saying everyone brought up like this becomes a rapist.

The media, usually local but still, report raids all of the time. This isnt something that the bbc (and yes, what augusta says re other outlets) has done to poor sir cliff just because he is famous

Haha, just spotted my earlier post has gone

Watched a fascinating 24 Hours in Police Custody the other day about a rape allegation. Dh and I had rather a heated (but ultimately friendly) debate afterwards. Police seem just as frustrated as the rest of us that so few allegations end in conviction due to insufficient evidence. Sexual abuse is such a difficult thing to prove. We spoke about the 'false allegations' aspect and of course I agree that people who make false allegations should have the book thrown at them. It's not only damaging to innocent men but to genuine victims who decide not to come forward in case they're not believed. But I'm extremely dubious that there's an epidemic of false allegations going on and suspect the number may be far fewer than people seem to think. The trouble is we have no way of knowing for certain. Fwiw I believed the woman on 24 hours, dh was more dubious. It can't be right that only 6% of sexual assaults end in conviction though. The police are in a difficult situation as they have to take every allegation seriously - they're damned if they do (Sir Cliff) and damned if they don't (Savile).

It is shameful the naming of people before their trial anyway IMO. What do the CPS have to say about this?They never seem to comment ...Or do they?

I believed the woman on 24 hours, dh was more dubious

How could anyone watching that be dubious!?

Consensual sex rarely ends in bloodstained sheets, a call to the police for a very intimate and uncomfortable interview, and a trip to A&E with a torn and bleeding anus and various bruises.

What did that (extremely brave) girl have to gain from putting herself through that?

Sorry for derailing but I fail to see how anyone could think that was ok.

Also a slight derail, but i'd like to remind everyone that the false allegation stats for rape/abuse are no higher than any other crime.

Sorry WellErr I should clarify. Obviously our discussion changed as the programme progressed. So he became dubious at the point when she appeared to very willingly go with him after saying he'd 'coerced' her, thus calling into question her statement. The sheets were incriminating, but some people do consent to anal penetration. I admit it's not something i know a great deal about so wouldn't know if it would normally cause bleeding without force. Then there was the witness statement that she didn't sound distressed. Of course all of these were countered by only a gut instinct in the end - there was no 'proof' it was or wasn't consensual, hence the reason they had to let him go. Overall, after the programme ended and having heard the woman speak about how she felt, we both instinctively felt justice had not been served. But the point was, it raised the complexities of rape allegations very well and ultimately even if the police share the same 'instinct' it's of little use without solid evidence. Bloody sheets were not enough for a trial or conviction.

I think we must have missed the bit about torn and bleeding anus - didn't know what the injuries were.