Ched Evans verdict

[FreshwaterSelkie]

to continue the discussion as the previous thread closed.

Batteries, I don't think that's viable in a drinking culture of ours. But there has always been a social code that men should not "take advantage" of a drunk woman and there has always been men who have abused it. I have known people drink copious amounts and still drive home in a straight line. I have also known women get drunk and be raped but didn't report, and I understand why.

Queen I don't see why not.

Fighting whilst drunk is still a crime, even though we have a drinking culture and fights are often a regular feature of a night out.

Just posted this on another thread, but actually drinking has a bigger association with men committing rape (74% of men had been drinking) than women being victims (55% of women had been drinking).
Yet we don't advise curtailing mens activity in case they rape someone.

Yes. I never see people suggesting we stop walking in the street in case we get knocked down by a dangerous/careless driver. "Well, perhaps he/she shouldn't have been walking there, then they wouldn't have been hit" just sounds ridiculous. The blame is entirely on the careless driver, and rightly so.

The campaign to eradicate drunk driving was laughed at when it started. It's not that long ago that driving home pissed was fairly unquestioned by the people you were with. Now people are horrified.

The law should lead on changing attitudes with rape too

Would it be a massive change that society men would not be impressed with if the law were changed to "beyond reasonable doubt" for a custodial sentence, but "odds of probability" for being found guilty of the crime.

Eg. I know juries are less likely to convict at all for longer sentences, if more of the sentencing power were passed to the jury (again, I don't really know how this works in practice), perhaps they'd be happy to say yes guilty of rape, but due to "beyond reasonable doubt" criteria for custodial, they cannot imprison.

Does that make sense? I'm typing on my phone at th edentist

Because he's a footballer and women can't resist them

Has anyone seen Netflix's Audrie & Daisy?

That's right, user. Your above statement is crap.

What a load of bollocks user

What the fuck are you going on about User?

Petition up to 11700 signatures.

We're discussing the implications of this case on our own personal safety. I feel less safe now than I did a week ago as a direct result of the verdict of this case and public response to it. My personal safety is kind of important to me, despite clearly having so little value to certain others. Forgive me for being so obsessed by it.

We are not obsessed with the footballer

We are obsessed with the court case and what it means for woman

Because he's a footballer and women can't resist them

Fela Whilst there is nothing funny about this that touch of gallows humour did make me smile

Late to this thread after having to give up all internet for a few days after the verdict. Some of the stuff from Twitter made me feel everything from anxiety to sickness to despair to anger and then some. The verdict is one thing - the language and the abuse the names and the championing of it all is another.
It made me so angry-infuriated-sad-furious to see so many people using the words slut slag whore slapped - even thinking about it now makes me feel so impotent yet full of words and speechless.
I had my drink spiked and was raped 13 years ago. It was horrific and terrifying, mainly because I couldn't remember much but had awful flashbacks. The police found him and arrested him but the CPS dropped the case as it was my word against his. I didn't tell anyone apart from my best friend for a long time. When I told my mum, she asked me not to talk about it with anyone - not even my dad. Whilst she understood it wasn't my fault, she knew there would be so many judgemental people.
It's horrific to think the defence were able to use past partners as evidence.
I hope that poor girl finds some closure somehow and is able to live her life as well as she can.
I would love to do something to help somehow - I hate the idea of this culture of demeaning women to get worse for my girls.
Sorry for long post!

FC

FC so sorry to hear that x

Thanks, OlennaWimple and Queenoftheblues

It just makes me so cross that 13 years later, it doesn't seem like anything has improved around rape and sexual assault - it's too much of a LAD joke and banter and with all the recent comments from Donald Trump, it seems we're going backwards.

More education for girls and boys is needed around consent and better rehabilitation and if that fails complete chemical castration

There seems to be an awful lot of speculation here which just adds to all the rumours going round - I've not read anything that suggests the girl didn't see him or look at him yet it's spread around on here and other threads like fact. Then all the comments about being spiked? There's no basis for this - pure guess work which in turn is plain scaremongering.

The girl herself said she wasn't that drunk, has no memory and didn't suggest she was raped at all.

I can't help feel that some peoples past experiences (awful ones at that) are causing them to try fit the situation into their preconceived image rather than seeing it for the evidence there is

Yes, FC, the world is getting smaller and worse for women again.

Butter the speculation is based on evans' conflicting accounts on who said what between the three, the surreptitious way he entered and exited the room, the likelihood of him performing oral sex on the victim after his mate penetrated her without a condom, the fact he "shushed" the guys at the window to be quiet. The victim said she didn't think she had drunk that much but woke up with a sore vAgina and such a bad head that she wondered if she had been spiked.
Her experience was in polar opposite to mine - the only similarity was a weak prosecution.
As I said, something doesn't feel right about evans behaviour. He did not act like a man having consensual sex with a willing woman.

She may not have gone to the police to 'report rape' but she thought she'd been spiked, she reported a sore vagina, and she was extremely distressed when she woke up (she went straight to her friend, who testified as to her distressed state). She will have put two and two together. She obviously knew that, despite being unable to remember it, something very bad had happened.

Just because she wasn't planning to report it, doesn't mean she doesn't think it was rape.

Regardless of whether she can remember the act, she wouldn't have agreed to testify in two trials unless she agreed with the police that she'd been raped.