Why are people so defensive towards alleged rapists?

[PinkyofPie]

If you're charged with a crime that goes to court, unless there's a reason to retain anonymity (such as it involves your child therefore naming you effectively names them) the press can name you if they wish to do so. Be it burglary, assault, theft or rape.

So why, every time a rapist is on trial, do people hop about saying "innocent until proven guilty" "they shouldn't be named they're tarred for life now" etc. But literally NO other crime.

A few days ago my local paper posted a picture on their FB newsfeed of 2 men on trial accused of raping a 18yo in the park. The above comments were there and even calls to "name and shame" the victim and also "will she get sentenced if they're found not guilty". Perhaps because "not guilty" does not mean innocent and if the law worked that way even fewer women would report rape than there is now

One of the men accused also posted mocking both the trial and people who actually had sensible comments. I looked at his profile, which is public, and there's lots of people saying "good luck mate" for today (verdict) and memes about liars getting their comeuppance.

Today both men were unanimously found guilty by the jury in just 7 hours.

No comments so far on the post about their guilt.

Can anyone offer an explanation as to why people take this attitude with rape, and only rape? The poor survivor has had to read all that sympathy for them

Toads John Leslie has been both arrested (with no charges eventually being brought) and also charged with sexual offences and rape, several times in his life, over several decades.

I agree it's not the best example of someone who has been 'wronged'

user see the picture kind put up. Also a rape allegation could carry a stigma, however it's the only offence I know of that has people in its droves protesting the accused' innocence.

A man aged 92 in my town was attacked the other day by two young men. A terrible crime, and I have not seen a single person questioning his accusation. Only ever when women accuse men of rape does that happen

John Leslie has been both arrested (with no charges eventually being brought) and also charged with sexual offences and rape, several times in his life, over several decades.

And people still believe he is innocent?

Wow.

Toads here's the details of the accusations - but yeah, those women are all scheming liars, and he's a victim of injustice

In October 2002, it emerged that Ulrika Jonsson had written in her autobiography, Honest, that "an acquaintance" had raped her when she was 19. It became known that the man was a TV presenter after comments by Jonathan Ross on his chat show.[14] Amid media speculation, television presenter Matthew Wright accidentally disclosed on The Wright Stuff that Leslie was the alleged perpetrator.[15] Jonsson has never said whether the correct person was named.[16][17]

Shortly afterwards, other women made accusations of indecent assault against Leslie, and he was arrested in December 2002 on one count of rape and two concerning indecent assault, and released on bail after being interviewed by the police.[18] Leslie was charged in June 2003 with assaulting a woman twice between 25 and 28 May 1997.[19] He was never charged for offences against Jonsson.[20] The prosecution dropped the charges against Leslie at Southwark Crown Court on 31 July 2003 after new information from the alleged victim.[21] On the court steps after he was cleared, Leslie said that he had "been to hell and back" and that he had "maintained [his] innocence throughout".[21]

In January 2006 Leslie was interviewed for the BBC series My Childhood in which he analysed his childhood memories with psychiatrist Linda Treliving. In the programme Leslie admitted that he "had never learnt how to treat women with respect" and "never learnt how to chat up women", admitting that he abused drugs, but claiming he did so as a result of childhood trauma. Shortly afterwards in an interview with The Independent he repeated this version of events, admitting "my behaviour was at times inappropriate".[2][22]

On 23 June 2008 British media reported that Leslie had again been arrested in relation to an alleged rape that happened in November 1995.[23] Again, no charges were brought.[24]

Speaking on ITV's Daybreak programme in early 2013, Leslie recounted the events subsequent to the allegations being made and said that he had contemplated suicide.[25]

In November 2015 Leslie was suspended from his job on Radio Forth while police investigated claims he sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman following a radio awards ceremony. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: 'Police in Edinburgh are investigating a report of a sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman, which took place between the evening of Thursday 19 November and the morning of Friday 20 November in Edinburgh'. The investigation into this allegation was however dropped on 14 February 2016.[26][27][28][29][30][31]

Wow, he sure has been "falsely accused" of rape quite a lot.

Very unlucky indeed...

Bloody hell, a lot of totally unconnected women all seem to have some sort of evil vendetta against that poor upstanding innocent man, whose life has been totally ruined. Feminazis.

". If you don't have intercourse with someone well you have the opportunity to reverse that decision should circumstances change. Once sexual touching or penetration has occurred, it can't be."

Well said.