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+.

Any comment from the judge about blokes picking up random young women being at risk of committing rape so they should be more careful and think about their behaviour?

I don't know what I think the punishment should have been. A short suspended sentence maybe?

I know the judge described it as an exceptional case, but it will affect people's perceptions of rape and it supports the idea that men are not to be held responsible for their sexual behaviour. Even if it is totally irresponsible, as this man behaved.

Nope. Not buying it. It's apology, no matter how you dress it up.

No one bothered to properly ascertain her age. She was available to have sex on. That's the only consideration.

We all know that "exceptions" eventually prove to be the rule. I am not buying it.

Totally agree with you, AB.

The way to avoid being convicted of rape/sex with a minor is to avoid having sex with someone you've just met in a town center at night....or indeed anyone you've only just met.

I understand this view isn't popular on MN.

I really, really hope the girl concerned doesn't continue to be failed by those who should be responsible for her.

Letting men off is not the way to go.

Any comment from the judge about blokes picking up random young women being at risk of committing rape so they should be more careful and think about their behaviour?

No idea, I would hope so. It's certainly something I will be drumming into my DS in a few years.

Apparently she lied and he fell for it

But no one is questioning if he could possibly be lying

Message coming through is once again young women and in this case young girls are devious so men can not be blamed in anyway when are we going to move forward from this certainly won't happen when men can have sex with 12 year old girls and sympathy is with him becuase he was lied to

For all we know he is completely disgusted and horrified by the fact that he was duped by her. I am not victim blaming but the reasons I say this are that I know of two cases locally where girls - specifically one is just 13 - who have enticed a boy into sleeping with her. She looks 18 absolutely. His parents are beside themselves, hers don't appear to be as outraged as you would hope and they are definitely living in a nice neighbourhood. It is all very shocking and distressing.

This girl sneaks out at night and crawls back in at dawn.

I agree with you LynetteScavo.

'enticed a boy into sleeping with her' ?

So, all her fault then? He just accidentally slept with her?

When men are "duped" into believing their sexual partner is on the pill, I argue that they are responsible for their own contraception. If you have sex with someone you don't know, there isn't really a good reason for believing everything they say, is there?

What is this "enticing" of which people speak ?

Does it involve forcing a hard cock into an underage vagina, against a male's will ?

By 12yo's ?

Come the fuck off it

I knew I would get this response which is why I name changed and never post on this type of thread. I only did today because this is such a close thing to me at the moment and really has shocked me to the core. It just isn't black and white but some people cannot accept that, the man always has to be in the wrong doesn't he .

If you fuck a 12yo, you are in the wrong.

Jesus, you do not want to read the FB comments on the local papers report. The most depressing thing is they're mainly from women. Victim blaming at its worst. Feels like nothings changed in the last 40 years.

When it comes to rape, yes.

Update, there's a bunch of men on twitter saying that she's basically a slut who got what she deserved. Some of them (looking through their timelines and in one case, his bio) also think that Jimmy Saville was framed. Nice.

From what I've read, my instinct would be that he is unlikely to reoffend therefore I agree with the judge on this occasion.

I do hope the girl is now being supervised much more appropriately.

I agree that some children look older than they are

I would also agree that having sex with someone you just met that you think is 16 is a really stupid idea as with the best will in the world they could be 15 or 14 or as in this case, even younger

when i was 14 i easily passed for late teens and lied a few times about my age to boys

i would have felt incredibly guilty if one of them had got into trouble. i think its extremely difficult in these cases, i think the judge made the right call, and its not as if hes got off scot free, his friends and famiky all know he had sex with a minor and he has to live with it, as does the poor girl if she now feels it was a stupid thing to do.

no ones won here i dont think.

My sympathy lies with AFs argument... but.... as somebody who got ID'd in shops into her 30s I cannot help but think how fucked off I would have been if one of the one night stands I initiated started asking for proof of my age. Cos it doesn't really happen the other way does it? It would be men asking for ID not women.

Thinking as I am writing here so be nice.

The more i think about it the more i think that assassinated is right and that a suspended sentence would have been appropriate

But i dont know

Its a shite state of affairs

I think I'd be pleased if they wanted definitive proof of age, as it shows they can think beyond their immediate wants and consider the safety of person they're about to be sexual with.

justgo, I imagine you won't believe me, but I'd have the same opinion if it was a woman who had had sex with a 12 year old boy.