The three boys accused of taking it in turns to rape a girl have been found not guilty

[Lougle]

The three boys accused of taking it in turns to rape a girl have been found not guilty on all counts despite some of the incident being filmed. How could that be? That poor girl. I believe in justice, I wasn't in court. I just can't understand it though.

I'd bet its because the jury didn't want to 'ruin the lives' of 3 little rapists.

Is there going to be an appeal?

I would imagine it was because they couldn't agree they were guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.

Extremely tricky with the many cases like this where it's very hard to prove rape occurred, sadly.

Her friend heard her say that she did not want to have sex.

Fucking hell. How the fuck did the jury come up with not guilty?! She was 13, a virgin, overheard saying she didn't want to have sex, filmed against her consent. How could they decide this wasn't rape???

It is awful. It brings to mind the case of Mason Greenwood. Horrific audio in that case too but the case was dropped. It is entirely understandable that so many rapes go unreported.

The mind boggles, doesn't it?

Having been a juror in a rape case (albeit adults), I would agree that this is likely.

It’s awful and has stayed with me.

That said, it seems there is a witness to the poor child saying No. I would have fought strongly for a guilty verdict with this evidence.

There must have been enough evidence for it to actually get to court. How many cases are dismissed due to lack of evidence and don't actually get to this stage? I find it hard to believe CPS would put a young girl under the spotlight like this unless they thought there was a case against the boys.

I can only assume because she wasnt on camera saying "no" that the jury have gone with reasonable doubt as to whether she consented. Even though there was a witness who said she'd said no and I imagine at such a young age she'd gone in to fight, flight or freeze mode just as many females have done before her. Its fucking disgusting

Agree it’s an awful verdict. She even had a witness who testified she said no.

I think there’s a lot of rape myths going on in this case. A teenager sneaking into bushes with a boy she fancies. Doesn’t mean she wants to have sex.

reading between the lines, I think this poor girl probably came across as a bit of a ‘chav’. Sorry to use that word, but I mean how she was perceived by the jury. That coupled with the boys being so young would’ve made people squeamish about convicting them

its clear that even if it started as consensual- the humiliating nature of the subsequent attack was certainly not consensual.

I've seen 12 elsewhere, either way, are you suggesting it makes the slightest bit of difference?

These boys will now feel untouchable

I work with children and adults where serious crimes are not taken any further and they all have a narrative of 'the case was dropped, I didnt do anything'

Its evidence for them that they were mistreated by the criminal system/police etc

Legally it might yes.

She was 12, they were 12, 13, and 14.

Legally it does yes because a 13 year old can consent to sex in limited circumstances and a 12 year cannot ever
the defence relied on convincing the jury that she consented or the perpetrators believed she consented. That defence is moot if she was 12.

Where's the reasonable doubt here exactly?

So if she was 12 what happened here.

Or was she 13?

Poor girl. The amount of people who are willing to believe the average girl and woman consensually sleeps with multiple boys and men at the same time is ridiculous. Ridiculous people.

This makes me so angry, the poor girl. She should stand proud she did nothing wrong she was failed. They filmed it and shared it as well. She was 13 she was raped. It’s a man’s world.

GloiredeDijon What did tye defending barrister say ? How did they - presumably- argue not rape ?

Just to be clear I am no way defending the heinous actions of these boys but clearly the jury couldn't find enough reliable evidence to find them guilty of rape beyond all reasonable doubt, based on the legal system we have today.

I remember snogging a boy I just met at a party, next thing I know he's lifted up my skirt and penetrated me. I was livid and felt violated. Just because you flirt or even kiss someone does not mean you consent to sex.

The defence case, according to the article, is that she was 'inconsistent' in her behaviour, that she looked at them like she fancied them, and that she was fine with having gang sex until someone walked past and called her a slag, which made her regret her decision and cry rape.

Perhaps I'm really, really naive. I can't imagine a situation where a 12 year old girl would consent to 3 people having sex with her at the same time.

The justice system in this country isn't fit for purpose, these boys should all be in jail.

The defence painted her as an unreliable witness, basically.

The lawyer of one of the defendants appears to have argued that consent for children isn't the same as consent for adults, so even though the girl explicitly said that she did not want to have sex and there was a witness to that, apparently the perpetrators weren't to know that she actually meant it. Because they were adolescents apparently.