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

I'm not sure anyone was saying that it's ok to assault overweight women

That's the defence used that the jury gave a "not guilty" verdict for. She was fat and he wasn't sexually attracted to her so it wasn't sexual assault. Fatties are free game. That's what it comes down to ,regardless of any other justifications around that verdict.

Or a man can just claim after the assault it wasn’t sexual as he didn’t find the women (or girl) sexually attractive

Yes let’s give men who commit sexual assault another reason to get away with it

Oh for frick's sake. TooGoodToBeTrue is being so sarcastic my phone nearly melted, and yet you are queuing up to lift one sentence out of the post and respond with the observations they already made in the preceding and succeeding sentences.

Do you all moonlight as poster-designers for cinemas? You know, those posters that quote one word in isolation from cinema reviewers?

Regarding the actual topic of the thread, the only solution I can think of that would prevent such a perverse jury verdict is a complete rephrasing of the act.

The intention part seems phrased in order to distinguish between sexual assault, accidental contact, and intentional contact in a non-sexual context (perhaps medical treatment of someone unconscious?)

It's going to be a nightmare to phrase, but now someone has identified this loophole of convincing a jury that a defendent didn't mean it sexually, an amendment seems the way to go.

Of course Brexit means there is no parliament time for stuff that only affects women. We only make up 50% of the population, after all.

I should imagine she was even less sexually attracted to Paul gasgoyne!

What next? I didn’t sexually assault that brunette, I prefer blonds?

It’s the diversion discussion has moved on to why can’t we just talk about women

This has happened to me as a man regardless of how he felt

🙄🙄🙄

Probably. And in our current cultural climate, it seems that any man who does claim that has a reasonable chance of getting 12 jurors who'll find that convincing.

Perhaps a new definition of sexual assault could work similarly to the current requirements for common assault, where the offence considers what the victim would be expected to feel, not what the perpetrator says they "meant" to do.

An assault is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly causes another to apprehend the immediate infliction of unlawful force. A battery is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly applies unlawful force to another. Where there is a battery, the defendant should be charged with ‘assault by beating’. (DPP v Little(1992) 1 All ER 299).

Fucking pg on bbc today

I really don't know how the general public will feel reading this

I feel like he admitted it, and his oh I've been kissed 6 times today have i been sexually assaulted proves he doesn't get consent at all

He also says he won't change how he behaves...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50113964

This is a man who has dv convictions ffs

Will the public think it sounds dodgy

Or will they think fat woman should be grateful, waste of police time. And actually women are public property what's the fuss and the line is a brutal stranger rape, anything less than that is just the way it should be if you're female and if you don't get that you're upppity and need to be reminded of your place by a man.

He's bleating in the papers today about how it's been the hardest year of his life waiting for the court case.

I'm sure it was just fucking peachy for the victim.

It's a really worrying precedent as he was so clearly guilty of sexual assault. When will a woman's right to bodily autonomy ever be respected? No pecks, no sloppy kisses, no hugs, no grabbing of breasts, bottoms or groin. None of those things should happen unless the other participant is willing. I don't care whether he found it sexual or not, what he did was sexual. I cannot fathom how a jury didn't have some kind of direction if they didn't understand consent.

Funny enough for the first time last night I saw a man being sexually harassed by another man. It got so far that the man harassing him managed to land a few kisses and he was getting handsy. The man being kissed looked overwhelmed and unable to handle the situation (despite being physically larger). He tried to appease the man being 'over friendly' at first by offering to share his lager and being breezy and cheerful but he clearly was very uncomfortable. It was like seeing the public life of women in a tiny microcosm but played out by men, the coping strategies we have to learn and use. I was just trying to think how to help when the man left the train. So it does happen to men but let's face it, I'm well into my forties and I've seen it happen countless times to other women but never before to a man. They don't have to live with the sheer weight of it on them every day. Women do and Paul Gascoigne just made this worse.

I wonder if Gazza's ever going to rape a woman.

Only if he feels sorry enough for her Phil.

You know - if she was so unattractive she really needed him to violently shag her against her will to cheer her up.

He says he isn't going to change his behaviour - one day he could well assault a rape victim, a woman who's been violently abused, a woman who's been molested as a child . . .

Would his shitty behaviour still be acceptable then, as long as he didn't;t fancy them?

What if he triggers serious mental health issues in a woman who has suffered trauma of some kind? Will that be okay?

He's a foul piece of scum, he really, really is.