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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Worboys: write to the Secretary of State

26 replies

PricklyBall · 04/01/2018 17:49

There's an AIBU thread about this too, but I thought I'd collect the relevant info here.

The Secretary of State for Justice, David Lidington, is the only person with the power to overturn the parole board's decision. His web page here has his email address:
www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/david-lidington/15

It also has a phone no. for his constituency office - they are open until 7.00pm apparently.

Guardian article:
www.theguardian.com/law/2018/jan/04/black-cab-rapist-john-worboys-released-prison

Telegraph article:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/04/taxi-rapist-john-worboys-released-prison/

Please find time to email and see if we can overturn this travesty of justice.

OP posts:
UpABitLate · 04/01/2018 18:11

God I just remembered this as well.

"The Metropolitan police are taking two rape survivors to the supreme court, with the backing of Theresa May, after the women won a human rights case over serious failures in the way police investigated a serial rapist."

The authorities in this country simply do not give a fuck.

Nineteenagain · 04/01/2018 18:30

Ive emailed him, saying that this decision encapsulates the utter contempt in which the safety of women girls is held in the uk especially within the jucidiary.Also asking him to consider the message this sends about the seriousness of rape.
Please email him.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 04/01/2018 18:34

This is appalling. He was given a life sentence but the tariff recommendation from the trial judge was apparently only 8 years. Beggars belief.

Nineteenagain · 04/01/2018 18:35

Just recieved an autoreply saying

Emails that relate to my role as Justice Secretary will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice. Constituents will receive a reply from me in that capacity.

Does this mean i wont get a reply as Im not a constituent? Still worth doing though I guess so he gets lots of emails as the pp said.

PricklyBall · 04/01/2018 18:38

Someone on the other thread suggested writing to your own constituency MP asking them to take it up with the SSfJ. That way he has to reply.

OP posts:
CaraBosse1 · 04/01/2018 18:42

Placemarking to make sure I write to my MP tomorrow.

Nineteenagain · 04/01/2018 18:49

Good idea prickly I will do that. Although Iv only just written to him about self ID! He will be writing me off as one if those rampant feminists if Im not carefulGrin

wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool · 04/01/2018 19:49

Bumping and going to write to my MP tomorrow. I might also try emailing David Lidington, even if we are not constituents a volume of email might help him take notice. Also what about contacting Keir Starmer?

SophoclesTheFox · 04/01/2018 20:59

Done.

Raging.

TheSmallClangerWhistlesAgain · 04/01/2018 21:03

Writing to your own MP and asking them to raise it is more likely to get a good response.

Unfortunately, my local MP is a raging Tory who thinks Jacob Rees-Mogg is a good idea.

Ereshkigal · 04/01/2018 21:05

I will write tomorrow.

user764329056 · 04/01/2018 21:15

Thanks for these links, have emailed Lidington and will write to local MP tomorrow

SophoclesTheFox · 04/01/2018 21:18

Also written to my local MP to ask him to pressure the Sec of State for Justice to do something.

Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful.

Room101isWhereIUsedtoLive · 04/01/2018 21:21

Utterly shattered right now but will make sure to follow this up tomorrow.

IJoinedJustToPostThis · 04/01/2018 21:26

I'm not the best writer, but do want to contact my MP. (Not a Tory). Any advice on how to phrase it or what to include would be very welcome.

saladdays66 · 04/01/2018 21:27

Done.

AnneElliott · 04/01/2018 21:45

Nineteen, you'll get a reply, but it will come from an official. If you want it signed by the SofS then you need to send it to your MP to forward onto him directly.

UpABitLate · 05/01/2018 15:17

a lot of outcry across the board and questions to be answered

bbc

PricklyBall · 05/01/2018 15:41

Ijust - I kept mine very short and simple.

Newspaper link to article. Expressed dismay at parole board's decision, given seriousness of offences. Stressed the fact that there seemed to be a fairly obvious and high risk of reoffending, and that the parole board's decision would be part of the contributory causes of any further assaults on women after his release. Asked the SSfJ to reconsider. (I've since discovered he may not have the legal power to do so, but no harm in asking).

OP posts:
SitOnMyFace · 05/01/2018 16:07

I’ve got a right monk on about this. The guy should be locked up forever! If he abused 100 women, is he going to stop once let out? Dreadful. If he reoffends, the parole board should go inside ffs!

DeleteOrDecay · 05/01/2018 16:46

I would write to my mp but I genuinely don't think he will careSad

SitOnMyFace · 05/01/2018 17:19

Mine cares. She is great, but I suspect the politics is too messy. Until some poor girl gets raped again. I can see why people take things in to their own hands. I don’t approve of it but understand.

LongWeek · 05/01/2018 22:09

IJoined try not to ramble- be specific in your comments/questions. Use paragraphs.
Don’t link to daily mail.
Remember MPs are only human.
Ask MP to forward to Secretary of State for an answer.
Be polite but firm.
Explain your concerns.

(Married to & work for an MP)

UpABitLate · 06/01/2018 10:42

From the BBC article today:

"All gave full statements to the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), she said, but the remaining eight were told their cases would not be progressed as there was already enough evidence against Worboys."

"The CPS said 83 complaints were made during the initial investigation, but many did not pass the evidential test."

So it looks like the authorities were interested in a conviction rather than getting a long time / making sure all the victims saw justice done.

The idea that the evidence of about 70 women did not pass this test is a bit nuts. Is there no weight in numbers? Loads of women, unrelated, all reporting the same story? I know they kept some details out of the press so they could see if the stories matched up when people came forward.

Seems like they thought oh well we've got enough for a conviction, let's stop there, anything else is just a waste of time and money.

Of course if he had been convicted of raping more than 100 women, would he have been out in 10 years?

Why has he only got 10 years when he was convicted of NINETEEN offences, isn't that enough?

Our justice system is fuck all use with crimes against the person. If he'd committed ONE armed robbery he'd have got more, even if he hadn't hurt anyone. At least I think so, they used to clobber people for armed (gun) robbery. Not rape though, obviously.

UpABitLate · 06/01/2018 10:45

These women have been severely and massively let down and I am so angry on their behalf.

I mean what's the point?

The police turned women away for years, laughed at them, didn't investigate, said a black cab driver wouldn't do that.

And now they have put him away for what anyone would surely say is a laughably short time - any sane person would expect him to be put away to protect women and to show justice for a very long time. He's only 60 for fuck's sake, well able to keep at it.

They say oh probation but when you're on probation you're not followed 24/7 are you. And he is OBVIOUSLY charming and a successful manipulator, or he would never have been able to get so many women to "celebrate" with him in the first place.