Are judges to be trusted?

[Spandex]

Whaaaaat?

Because this takes the biscuit!

apparently this Judge has form?

Form?

Cod, I take your point but this was a ten year old... and the judge who previously suggested another child abuser bought his victim a bicycle to make up for it.

Find it difficult to think of any excuse for someone having sex with a ten year old, tbh.

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I find this reason of 'over crowding of prisons' quite staggering

no room at the inn so off you go ??????????

that'll teach em

I know there are sentencing guidelines, but it's hard to see how someone can mistake a 10yo for a 16yo. Really. And if you are a grown man shagging a much younger girl, it's kind of incumbent on you to make sure how old she is.

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And this judge has form, to go by the bike comment. Nothing in the sentencing guidelines about belittling the victims of sex abuse, is there?

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It is the sentencing guidelines that are being too lenient I would think, although some judges do tend to be more harsh than others from what I have heard. Some judges have scarier reputations.

Cod - there was an 11 year old girl who came tot he school I taught at with a similar reputation. Male teachers were all spoken to about the risk and being very careful of the dangers they could find themselves in if alone with this child.

Not saying this is what happened here.

There is no excuse for having sex with a 10 year old and it should be punishable to the highest order.

But without knowing the full story it is difficult to know how that sentence was arrived at.

Presumably if others in the know feel it was lenient then the sentence will be appealed.

both the prosecution and defence accepted that this girl looked 16. This is slightly different from a man who knowingly has sex with 10 year old children.

The Defendant's intent and extent of knowledge is relevant to the sentencing.

edam the PROSECUTION admitted that the girl could have been mistaken for a 16 yr old and that it wouldn't have been an unreasonable mistake to make

she obviously DID look and act very very much older than her age

which is clearly extremely sad in itself. but if the prosecution felt it was a reasonable mistake to make, I think you should probably accept that, no matter how hard you might find it to believe

agree with coderama

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yeah well, I don't think adults should be excused for taking advantage of vulnerable children with 'troubled' backgrounds. Down to the adult to check age, if they are the sort of dirty old man who shags someone who is clearly very young.

oooh about 100 x posts

must type faster

edam the "dirty old man" was 20

barely out of nappies himself

Yeah, TWICE her age. A 20 yo is old enough to know better.

BUt if she looked 16 then it's only 4 apparent years.

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why are you so angry about it? the prosecution said she could easily be taken for over 16. he was a lad of 20. A 20 yr old getting together with a 16 yr old wouldn't be anything to raise an eyebrow at in the normal course. Of course she wasn't 16 - so he has done wrong - which is why he has been punished and put on the register - but it isn't exactly the same as a 45 yr old predating on a 10 yr old who looks and acts like a child

circs completely different