Ulster Rugby Rape Trial - Not guilty to all charges

[Quimby]

Verdict just returned
Not guilty to all four accused, all unanimous decisions.

Irish news reporting today that another UR player Craig Gilroy involved in the WhatsApp messages. He is apparently the ' CG' that asked 'any sluts get fucked?'

I agree the Irish Times is so much better at reporting on this than any of the other media I've seen.

It is so depressing to read the comments via Irish Times fb though as the majority of men are 'siding' with the defendants as though, as pp said, this is a men against women argument. We need to get more men involved in condemning them somehow.

I had a quick look at the rugby club facebook and plenty of women saying they've done nothing wrong wahtsoever, should never have gone to court, women should respect themselves, put them back on the pitch.

Beggars belief.

"Metropolitan Police ditches practice of believing all victims" www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/police-ditch-practice-of-believing-all-victims-jsg6qd2ws

The comments are awful

I know carrot I just saw that. I would be fine with that if applied to all complainants of all crime. I understand the police are investigators and have to be impartial.
If you think about it logically almost all crime with the acception of murder can be faked.

I can only think (hope) that the people shouting about how these 'poor lads' have done nothing wrong haven't read anything to do with the case.

Surely anyone with a brain would read those messages, and at the very least see that whilst they may have been found not guilty in court, they are definitely not 'poor lads'. They are disgusting human beings, whether guilty or not.

I was thinking yesterday as I had to listen to my own parents talk about ''women who have to take responsibility for their own safety'' how very often I have wrongly been accused of being a man-hater. So these vile commenters want us to blame ourselves for being sexually assualted but they would be the first to use 'man-hater' as way shame ''prudish'' or cautious women.

I thought this would happen carrot as in England the newspapers have run a very successful campaign to discredit women claiming to be raped. They have disproportionately concentrated on cases of disclosure failure in involving female complainants. Especially the times newspaper. When you go on twitter pages belonging to lawyers they on the hand say disclosure failures are a resource issue that applies to all crime.

People haven’t followed the case or read the transcripts. They’re listening to gossip and bullshit lies. I spent yesterday with family and I swear to god, how I didn’t throttle them for their thick-as-shit attitudes and completely made up “facts” about this case is a miracle. They’re so fucking backwards. I’m ashamed of them tbh. There are plenty more like them al over the country. They’re all spreading these lies and antiquated judgemental attitudes. it’s disgusting. There is no talking to them.

“Speaking as a cop, opposed to a citizen, I’m interested in crime. If it’s a long time ago, or it’s very trivial, or I’m not likely to get a criminal justice outcome, I’m not going to spend a lot of resources on it.
“And what might be a misunderstanding between two people, clumsy behaviour between somebody who fancies somebody else, is not a matter for the police.”

Pretty awful statement?

I wonder why her views about sex crimes as a policewoman are so different to her views as a citizen. They shouldn't be so divergent.

Very glib about historic abuse. And not directing resource where "not likely to get a criminal justice outcome".... presumably most rapes wont get much investigation. And I wonder which issues reported to the police she is viewing as misunderstandings/clumsy behaviour.

The overall message towards sexual abuse is very disappointing. And no not unexpected.

Unamagdelena - your so right at uni this guy I didn't know asked me where I lived I gave him a vague answer so he didn't find out. But in reply he said what do you think I am going to go and do rape you in your house.
I also didn't drink alcohol at uni but some men called me Ice queen for that.
As women you cannot win as you do all the things to stay safe and get accused of being a prude and man hater as you think any man can be a potential rapist. But if you don't than you are asking for it.

It’s almost as if that police officer(?) doesn’t think rape is anything to do with her. As if it could never happen to her. Interesting.

Who is that quote above from, that seems to be saying "date rape" is not a crime?

It's not cressida dick is it? I can't get behind the paywall to read the article.

Oh wow google standard

"In additional comments to the Times, Ms Dick reportedly added that she would not spend a lot of resources on cases that were "very trivial" or unlikely to result in conviction.

She reportedly added: "And what might be a misunderstanding between two people, clumsy behaviour between somebody who fancies somebody else, is not a matter for the police."

Why does it say "reportedly added"??

"misunderstanding between two people, clumsy behaviour between somebody who fancies somebody else, is not a matter for the police"

This is a eupamism for date rape isn't it, a man sexually assaulting or raping a woman he "fancies". I don't understand why she has said this?

I hope there is a petition drawn up to demand her resignation if those quotes are truely from her

It's fucking awful isn't it. Message loud and clear.

The police should be able to extend the same respectful response to rape victims that victims of other crimes get AND investigate properly.

That the system isn't fit to process digital evidence is no justification to take this approach.

If she has said that sexual assault / rape that happens in private, with no witnesses, and is between people who know each other, is not a police matter, then that is a serious departure.

It essentially means that while it is illegal, the police are not interested.

Now we always knew they weren't very interested in "date rape" as it's hard to evidence and prosecute and so they can't be bothered. And if the woman isn't too badly physically injured then no harm done.

This statement seems to formalise this though - that women should not report rape if it's someone they know and there's no witness.

I'm not reading too much into that am I? That is what it says, right? And these people say nothing by accident, that will have been a deliberate statement.

The idea that men who sexually assault / rape women are simply "misreading signals" and being "clumsy" is so retrograde (and a lie designed to protect men).

That the Met are backing this up is a green light to rapists isn't it? Just pick someone you know and get her alone then go for it. Met says they aren't interested.

This is like some shit you'd read from an MRA (that one who said that rape on private property should be legal) or a country that has zero women's rights.

Her approach will I expect be welcomed. Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions got a lot of criticism after the Liam Allen trial. She made some disappointing comments afterwards that felt very much like the result of political pressure.

Given the issues over digital evidence there will never be adequate resources made available to properly investigate rape where the parties know each other.

I expect the comments quoted reflect how the criminal justice system are handling this. Stop throwing resource at "acquaintance" rape.

I expect whoever replaces Alison Saunders will take up this line also.

Ive started a thread in FWR about this, to avoid derailing this one.

Hopeful news in the ROI - seems the rallies etc have had some effect:
www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/flanagan-to-review-all-aspects-of-sexual-assault-trials-1.3447539