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

It made me so angry and absolutely heart broken for that girl. It is disgusting and I hope that poor girl knows she was massively wronged by the 'justice' system and it wasn't her fault

It's futile to rely on individual barristers acting in a decent, human manner. Lots of them don't.

• training for judges, juries and barristers on rape myths (eg the victim didn't struggle, that implies consent. No it implies she went into survival mode and froze)
• a code of conduct for all defence lawyers and solicitors which eradicates all of this she was asking for it victim blaming nonsense.

Is there a campaign we can back? So many women would support it.

It is horrific, hard to believe in this day and age.

I remember discussing rape trials with a Barrister. He said he won’t defend alleged rapists due to the law being to much in their favour and he wasn’t prepared to victim blame to obtain an acquittal. I also know a couple of Solicitors who made it quite clear with prospective employers that they wouldn’t represent alleged rapists.

Depressing that in 2018 people (mostly women!) are made to feel that they were "asking for it". Sometimes I wear nice thongs or French knickers, sometimes I wear old Bridget Jones pants or boxers. The idea of (God forbide) ever being the victim of a sexual assault and being made to show my underwear to a court as evidence makes me feel sick. That poor poor girl!

This clip "what were you wearing?" is a bit depressing but gets the point across!

This case has really upset me.
I feel so sad for the girl in the case, let down by a man raping her, then let down by the justice system, humiliated in court.
I also feel sick at the discussions elsewhere, seeing friends being told that people can prevent their own rapes, it only takes awareness and effort. And, "if you get raped by the same person twice, shame on you".

It's brought home to me how foul some people's opinions are (outside of mumsnet). I'm gladdened that people see sense on here. Thank fuck.

Honestly people. I mean everyone deserves a raping unless they are dressed as a nun
Surely that’s logical to all

I have had to sit through rape trials via my previous employment clothing, underwear, previous sexual behavior, alcohol/drugs all seems to be a way to describe a victims (both male and felmale) "character". Sexual crimes are committed by the perpetrator never the victim.

Fucking disgusting and heartbreaking.

It is fucking abhorrent.

Women are speaking up more and more - metoo, everything else thats been in the media - and there's a large undercurrent of men who don't like it. This case is appalling but I do feel overall times are changing, things are going for the better - but it's so slow and there are still vile examples of mistreatment around these cases. 50 years ago there would've been no outcry over this, so at least the public is changing. However, there's such a massive way to go. The stats around rape cases are horrifying. I just wish it wasn't like this. Why can't people stop raping other people. That's where the problem lies, not what fucking underwear someone choses to wear.

I don't believe sexual history or clothing should be allowed to be used as evidence either. It does not relate to consent.

You are right to be angry. This is an absolute disgrace.

On a scale of worthlessness to society, the rapist is on the top, the barrister not far behind, but the jury is well ranked too. I actually wrote once to a French female barrister to tell her in very polite and non threatening words what I thought of her defenses tactics and of her as a human being. She was the same ilk as the one on here.

I wish there was a place, a way to tell the survivor that we are behind her, and enraged on her behalf.

There have been protest marches in Ireland's two biggest cities, Dublin and Cork, because of this case.

My dds wear thongs are they asking for it ?
No way.


Why did the jury not find him guilty?

Do they realise the shops are full of lacy thongs? There's a whole lot of untapped consent out there

Whilst at University I read a book on rape trials. The author had been allowed to review data held by the police etcetera.

The amount of men who had been accused by more than one woman but none of the cases had got to court was staggering.

Other men had multiple complaints reported and when one or even two of those compaints made to court, they were still acquitted.

What I found the most harrowing was what some of these victims told the author. What seemed a regular theme was their attacker and sometime attackers telling them not to report as they’d done it before and always get away with it.

Quite frankly lawyers who represent men like this are scum. They know damn well they are guilty but don’t care.

The barrister apparently said: “you have to look at the way she was dressed.”

NONONONONONONONONONO - it’s not just irrelevant, it’s actually dangerous to do that. Infuriating. That poor girl

The barrister should reflect on her statements. She did not breach regulations or professional ethics guidance...but at a personal level I'd find her behavior disgusting. Her name is listed in the press reports, hopefully she gets some feedback from her friends and family.

I once went to a beach theme party in a bikini and small sarong. This Barrister would have had a field day.

That poor girl. That barrister ought to be ashamed of herself!

Shame on elizabeth o'connell
Im not usually a vigilante but we need to make bartisters realise this will shame them

This reflects incredibly badly on society, and its attitudes, that a jury can be led to believe a woman or girl has consented because she wears a particular type of underwear. Truly shocking in the 21st century.

I'm glad to have read your replies, seeing some of the Facebook comments disappoint me too. People are heartless.

I don't know the ins and outs of the case but from what I've read, muddy field, witness saying he had hold of her neck, being a virgin, saying she didn't want to! don't amount up to a great picture. But even if he didn't rape her, en route to a verdict the poor girls underwear have absolutely nothing to do with it.

At 14 I had some lacy thongs that I thought were all grown up and 'sexy', that didn't for one second mean I was prepared for sex, I wasn't, nevermind asking to be raped.

As for the bitch woman defending him. I understand its a lawyers job to defend a client, absolutely. But what she said is clutching at straws, below the belt, absolutely unacceptable, a kick in the teeth to any woman who had been raped and a huge backwards step for getting anywhere in this depressing life. And I'll tell you what, you couldn't pay me to do that to a child that's brave enough to come forward. So that says enough about the woman in question.

All the women so enraged and gutted over this is overwhelming, I wish we could all come together and actually do something about all of this. It's so frustrating

I remember discussing rape trials with a Barrister. He said he won’t defend alleged rapists due to the law being to much in their favour and he wasn’t prepared to victim blame to obtain an acquittal

I hope this is not true, as I imagine your barrister friend (if he is at the criminal bar) would be in breach of his professional ethics.

Does anyone know what we can actually do to help this situation.

Is donating to rape crisis or similar charities the best way forward?

Short of somehow retraining to be a barrister and working to prosecute rapists I'm struggling to think of what the best thing to do to try to help is. Does anyone have any ideas? Is awareness online a key thing? So talking about it, sharing ideas? Or crowdfunding somehow? How do things change?

I remember about 30 years ago reading about a rape case.
A burglar had broken into someone's home. The owner was a female
Alone and in bed. She was raped. Her choice of night dress was brought into the trial . It seemed that the poor burglar couldn't help himself and it was her fault!
I feel as outraged thinking about that now as I did 3 decades ago.
We have not moved on. It is an utter disgrace.