Man walks free from court after statutory rape

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Saw this news case today, and am not sure what I think:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-39305042

I feel that it gives the message that it's ok for men not to worry about the age of girls/women they have sex with if they have reasonable grounds to believe they're 16+.

Actually no, the law is not different if you're talking about "two 14 year olds" having sex if it turns out one of them isn't actually 14. There was a case a few years ago in my town where a 15 year old boy was convicted of "child rape" for having consenting sex with someone he believed was a 14 year old. Unfortunately she was 11. Again, as in this case, it was universally accepted that the boy had every reason to believe she was 14 and no reason to think otherwise, so he was given a suspended sentence. Obviously if he'd known her real age things would, rightly, have been very different. But he didn't. From his point of view he was a teenager having perfectly ordinary consenting sex with another teenager.

In this case a 19 year old had what he believed was normal consenting sex with a 16 year old. He was tragically mistaken. But it's a mistake that could happen to virtually any teenage boy or girl.

miffer what would you have had him done differently?

Well for a start I wouldn't have dreamed of having sex with a 16 year old when I was 19. So it's game over from that point really.

why on earth do you blame him?

Because. He is a man. That had sex. With a little girl.

Fucking hell. I cannot believe I am on a feminist forum on a parenting website having to explain why I think adults having sex with children is wrong.

Why are people judging the 19 - 16 age gap. It is irrelevant to this case.

If he had been 17 or even 16 the outcome case would have been the same.

I feel for the guy, he is clearly not a sexual predator. Unlike those pedos who prey on underage girls knowing full well they are underage.

His life is ruined.

And she wasn't even a teenager ...

There is a requirement in law that adults don't have sex with children. If a man doesn't know the girl he's wanting to have sex with, its his responsibility to be bloody sure she's not a child. If he can't do that - then FGS just don't have sex with her.

DPspottedmyusername you are horrific. Truly horrendous person
Another sensationalist statement with no answer to the points not any substance.

I'm sure you feel better making such sweeping statements but your narrow view of not considering any other point of view is not useful

No doubt DPspottedmyusername thinks this is hilarious too: www.fulhamsw6.com/default.asp?section=info&page=concrime062.htm

I'm sure DPspottedmyusername is also laughing hysterically and defending the men who did this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37620934

I'm not clicking on those links - and again - sensationalist and not addressing the points

His life won't be ruined. This won't be on his record, he isn't on the sex offenders register and he has the sympathy of many many people as this and other threads attest. Poor man, tricked into sex by the lying little girl. He'll be fine.

southall are you from Southall?

DPspottedmyusername

To be fair I don't think the point of view "Sometimes it should be legal to have sex with kids" is one worth considering.

It is legal for a 19 year old to have sex with a 16 year old - that is a fact rightly ir wrongly - how do you think he should have confirmed her age iamamy if others didn't question it?

Well...most teens who have sex know each other, to some extent, don't they?

Erm, Errol, sorry but this is a pretty naive view of teenage sexual behaviour. Even in my teenage days (20 years ago and more) we all had dalliances with people we didn't know. Even more so for young people now.

DPspottedmyusername why have you changed your name for this thread, by the way?

miffer

Fake quote

DPspottedmyusername

To be fair I don't think the point of view "Sometimes it should be legal to have sex with kids" is one worth considering.

Not a very substantial argument if you have to fake a quote...

Iamamy

DPspottedmyusername why have you changed your name for this thread, by the way?

My name was changed before this story emerged

Dear

Oh and she was 12. A 19 year old can't tell a 12 year old is 12 from conversation?

It is legal for a 19 year old to have sex with a 16 year old

She wasn't 16 she was 12.

Saying she was 16 didn't make her 16. She was still 12.

DPspottedmyusername what was your name before this? Honestly?

iamamy

DPspottedmyusername because you're a rapist loving lowlife. Fuck off now

Good argument my lovely

Well constructed

OrchidsAndLace I'm a teenager now and you're talking absolute shite.

iamamy

Oh and she was 12. A 19 year old can't tell a 12 year old is 12 from conversation?

Well that was the judge's opinion

And she's clearly more informed and educated on the subject than you