To be absolutely heartbroken for the girl who's thong was used against her in a rape case

[easielouisie]

Incase you haven't seen it:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46207304

Its been a long day and I'm very tired but I am so completely heartbroken for this girl and feel so hopeless for us ever getting anywhere, it's like one step forwards ten steps back.

I've just got in and am sobbing for her, how can a female solicitor turn on a young potential rape victim and dangle a thong for the duty to ponder if she was asking for it. I'm horrified this is remotely accepted no wonder girls don't want to come forward its humiliation at its finest.

A similar thing happened years ago and a young girl had to read out the slogan "little devil" from the thong she wore when she was raped. She killed herself following the trial.

AIBU to feel like we'll never get anywhere and people will always be disgusting? I wouldn't be responsible for my actions if I met that woman.

Just hurts my heart how cruel life is sometimes

YANBU

That is terrible. I wear thongs and I'm 57... no v p l. How can that be a measure of someone's character .

I know. It’s outrageous.

It's a total disgrace! Poor poor girl!

It's fucking disgusting. Absolutely.
Doesn't matter if she wore no knickers, crotchless knickers or had lube in her pocket. NONE OF THAT INDICATES CONSENT.
Bitter as my case was turned down as he 'might not have known I didn't want him to'
Bloody backwards and I could weep for all the women this happens to.

YANBU. I have no words left to describe my disgust at how the legal system treats women.

I've cried about this as well. It's just so so sad.

I don't think my DH understood why I was upset about it, until I explained it to him in a simple way.

I have some nice underwear that he also likes. (Don't get me wrong, it's my underwear that I wear because I like how I look in it, he just happens to like them too!) If I wear them, some people believe that any other men (or even DH himself) are now allowed to rape me.

No. Just no. It's so wrong on every single level.

Broken system. Completely broken.

In other news, in another country, a young woman was raped by her abusive stepdad, didn't know she was pregnant, carried his child to term, had it in a bathroom stall, and has now been convicted and imprisoned for 20 years for attempted murder of the foetus.

The stepfather has yet to be charged with anything.

Love the world we live in, some days.

It broke my heart too. WTF is wrong with people.

My innocent 15 yo DD wears thongs under leggings and jeans (purely to avoid a VPL), she is definitely not looking for sex. This story has broken my heart today, that poor victim.

It is heartbreaking and depressing and grim that this can still happen. Shame on the prosecuting team. Do they not have daughters?

This is just so wrong

It doesn't matter if she danced around the room naked singing "get it here, lads". If she said no, she said no.

I wear M&S knickers. Does that mean I am not asking for it then.

Moronic prosecution team.

I completely agree with you. its an absolute disgrace. What really gets me mad is the arseholes on social media saying because he was acquitted she lied and anyway mentioning the thong didn’t have anything to do with the outcome.

I once sat in on the rape trial where the complainant was only 14 and the accused 45. The Defence inferred that because she bunked off school she was a dishonest person therefore lied. There was also a lot of “well you’ve got ask yourself what she was doing in the house anyway”. The Prosecution said nothing, didn’t intervene at all and the Judge looked like he was asleep.

Well I must be "asking for it " Every time I go to the gym or go for a run as I always wear a thong under my gym bottoms.
Interestingly I presume I'm not " asking for it" on a night out as I usually wear big, cover alls under my dresses.
Totally irrelevant what clothing someone wears.
I wonder if this same logic is applied to bras.
Is there an "asking for it" bra too.

I have no idea about the facts of the case or if the ultimate verdict was correct or not, but it's outrageous that the type of underwear could be presented as evidence one way or another. This should not be happening, not in this case or any other.

Is there an "asking for it" bra too.

Plunge push-up I imagine.

Yanbu

No means no. And we have the right to say it any time we want to whether we are in several layers and a big thick coat or standing naked in the corner.

Clothes are not consent.

And he wouldn't have known what underwear she was wearing til he was attacking her anyway.

As it was an Irish case I started a thread in Craicnet on this very issue a couple of days ago. Simply appalling.
And to think it was a female barrister who cast the aspersions. Shame on her.
I know she wants to defend her client but that brings women's rights right back.

This is fucking disgusting. I thought we'd moved on from this shit. I despair I really do

My heart breaks for her. Brave girl to bring it to court. And the legal system failed her dismally.

I hope she is getting the support she needs.

I believe the solicitor campaigned for a no vote in the abortion referendum so she has form for being reactionary on women's issues.
IMO that even if a woman goes out determined to hook up with someone she still gets to choose which guy she brings home. So clothing can never express consent.

I don't even know where to begin.

Poor, poor young woman 😪

She was a virgin when he raped her, in a grim muddy field, and that was meant to be consensual! it’s bloody disgusting, poor girl, my heart goes out to her, and hope she is getting support.

YANBU.

But... a lawyer’s job is to defend their client by any means/argument possible. Even murderers deserve legal representation. I don’t actually blame the barrister for using whatever argument she had at her disposal. Though the absolute bulk of my sympathy is of course at the poor girl who had such aspersions cast about her due to her choice of underwear, which is SO entirely unrelated to consent!