AIBU to be angry that it's now ok to sexually assault overweight women?

[WithTwoGiantBoys]

Today Paul Gasgoine was cleared of sexual assault after he admitted forcefully and sloppily kissing a complete stranger on the lips. He somehow successfully argued that as the woman was a "fat lass" there was no sexual desire in his action, he was just cheering her up after some other prat had commented on her weight. I an FURIOUS that this decision erodes women's bodily autonomy, nobody should have to put up with a drunk man's attempted pity snog just because she is overweight.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50068077

Shouldn’t have looked but the comments on The Sun Facebook page under this article are disgusting.

I don’t know why but this reminds me of the time I was severely sexually assaulted as a 13 year old. I was telling the boys who bullied me in my class what had happened to me hoping it might elicit some sympathy from them and all they could do was make fake vomit noises and say “Ughhh poor bloke doing that to you, you should have been grateful”. Just because I was considered very ugly as a teenager.

Seems not much has changed in 30 years

Do these people realise that babies and grandmas get raped too?

Personally feel its blown out of proportion and was an attempt to get money out of him not that he has any left.

I don't think it was an attempt to get money - why should it be? If she'd wanted money she wouldn't have gone to the police, she'd have gone to him directly, or to the papers. She wanted justice - and look where it got her. (And by the way - he has plenty left if his flat is anything to go by. He's always claiming to be on the bones of his arse, but he lives in luxury.)

I agree with those posters who say that if she'd respond by slapping him, or kneeing him in his shrivelled little nuts) she'd be the one in the dock.

Tableclothing - read your link (even though it was to the DM ) I think it's interesting that Gascoigne's son was very distressed because he witnessed his father being arrested, but didn't seem to be bothered that he was too drunk to walk, was using foul language, and launched a violent attack on someone who was just trying to help him.

Probably used to that lot on a daily basis . . .

Probably used to that lot on a daily basis . . .

Probably.

Someone upthread reckoned that PG is still hero-worshipped in Newcastle. Ime, even the most ardent football fan/DV apologists now view him as, at absolute best, a sad waste of a life.

I really feel for the woman in this case. Seems to me like she's now been humiliated by sexist bastards three times over.

I have seen Newcastle fans supporting him on Twitter but surprise surprise, they tend to be blokes.

@SchadenfreudePersonified that is sad in regards to his son although not surprising. I also think it's sad that his step daughter whi afaik he never officially adopted was and still is happy to go by his surname as her leg up to fame.

Tableclothing - Most people don't give him a second thought, as far as I am aware - he's only remembered when he hits the news, and then he's usually making a laughing stock of himself.

He's an embarrassment to the region.

But as you say - this poor woman has been put through the mill and for nothing. The ugly entitled arrogant git has got away with it, and she has been exposed to the public gaze as some desperate, fat, unattractive woman who should be grateful to be groped. It's beyond vile!

Is there another charge that could have been brought, I wonder?

So was this his defence in a nutshell-

*"Michelle Heeley QC, defending, had argued that when Gascoigne kissed the stranger there was no sexual intent.

She said the former player kissed a woman who was not expecting it and did not like it, but that did not make him a sex offender.

She said the kiss lasted two or three seconds, on a packed train, and was not preceded by any “lecherous comment”, touching or groping.

She showed the jury photos of Gascoigne kissing fellow players and fans, and his character witnesses described him as tactile."*?

But it really is the wider issue, isn't it?

He got held of her face & kissed her lips.

Why???

Well, ultimately, in this case, he could-with no repercussions!

It's fucking disgusting, and his barrister should be fucking ashamed of herself.

Not rtft

Yanbu

And what was this stuff about pics of him (consensually) giving famous women a kiss. How is that evidence of anything.

“She said the kiss lasted two or three seconds, on a packed train, and was not preceded by any “lecherous comment”, touching or groping.”

So as long as you don’t grope someone or make innapropriate comments means you’re free to physically assault them?!

Michelle Heeley is dangerous and yet another reason why many people don’t want to report sexual assaults as they know they simply won’t be believed, or if they are believed and the guilty party actually admits it, then they still aren’t punished appropriately!

What next? People pinching bums, stroking thighs etc, is that now okay as long as you don’t make innapropriate comments first and if you don’t ‘fancy’ the person you’re abusing?

YANBU. It's a disgrace.

is that now okay as long as you don’t make innapropriate comments first and if you don’t ‘fancy’ the person you’re abusing?

Yup. Fucking terrifying.

So if someone grabs me by the pussy, a la donald trump, and it has happened, as long as he doesn't fancy me it's not a problem.

Good to know I was right not to make a fuss about it 20 years ago when it happened then. Out of all the sexual assaults that I've been subject to, and other crimes of a sexual nature, that's the one that has stayed with me. Their smirking faces. Fuckers.

Anyway good to hear my judgement on feeling upset and not doing anything about it was sound.

...or at least convince a jury that you couldn't possibly fancy them. Awful.

I don't get why people are surprised and outraged.

Was it a violation? Yes.
Was it irrelevant whether he fancied her or not? Yes.
Was it irrelevant whether she's fat ir not ? Yes.
Was it assault? Yes.

But in a country where men get off rape charges with literally an "I slipped and fell " excuse and off murder charges with "sex game gone wrong" what did you actually expect?

Can anyone actually claim that they truly believed "justice" would be done?

Is he drinking again?

his barrister should be fucking ashamed of herself.

His barrister should have to endure a slavery kiss from a toothless drunken Gazza in a public place herself, trapped by other bodies and unable to either get away or push him off.

Men like him always have female barristers because they go for the jugular - if a male barrister does that to a woman, it immediately turns the jury against him; when a female barrister does it, it's regarded as "less bullying".

I deplore the outcome, but is it fair to blame the barrister? Barristers have to represent all sorts of defendants - that's their job. She could hardly stand up and say 'I think he's guilty.'

No screaming - she's doing her job, but one of the reasons she's prepared to defend filth like him is that she knows that what he has done HE WILL NEVER DO TO HER BECAUSE SHE LIVES IN A DIFFERENT, WEALTHIER, WORLD.

Perhaps this type of case should be put in front of a judge, not a jury.

She can do her job - but that should not mean trying to trick, or humiliate, or bully - there are plenty of rules that prevent the accused being bullied, there don't seem to be the same protections the other way round.

If here are, they don't see to be working very well.

I see your point, Schadenfreude - I don't know the ins-and-outs of how the barrister conducted the defence, but wasn't it the judge who was at fault if he allowed the prosecution witnesses to be bullied and humiliated? I mainly blame the jury though. I don't know what they can have been thinking.

The verdict is ludicrous. However people on this thread are making wild assumptions about the judge, jury, barrister and Gascoigne's son(!) although none of us, as far as I'm aware, were actually present in court.