York Press article on rapist Joseph McKeown

[WomanBornNotWorn]

At least they managed to use inverted commas which suggests a bit of eye rolling going on

But here's the corrected version:

Predatory York rapist Joseph McKeown jailed for rape.

A rapist with the mind of a rapist who had the potential to do more rape has been jailed for rape.

www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/17895173.39-brilliant-39-york-scientist-joseph-mckeown-jailed-rape/

www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/17895173.39-brilliant-39-york-scientist-joseph-mckeown-jailed-rape/

Those academics who wrote letters of support for him should be ashamed of themselves. Disgusting. I wouldn’t want to be a female student or a colleague in their departments.

Your correction is brilliant, womanbornnotworn.

I don't give a shiny shit what rapists are good at outside of their chosen career as a rapist (be it swimming, science, or the catch all "upstanding member of the community") they still deserve to go down for a very, very long time.

Just to correct the article further (though glad they put the "brilliant" in inverted commas), someone who has just got a first in their first degree is not a brilliant scientist, he's a person who is good at sitting exams.

McKeown’s barrister Julian Goode handed references from York academics with doctorates, saying: “They support the defendant returning to the university post release. It is however, not their decision.

WTAF? Who are these academics? I think we deserve to know.

Mr Goode said McKeown had the potential to do “incredibly important work that will assist the public generally”

WTAF again? How about “not raping”? That’s the most important work he could do to assist the public generally.

Mr Goode said McKeown had the potential to do “incredibly important work that will assist the public generally”.

I could not possibly give less of a shit if I actively tried.

I would be interested to see the references in support of him returning on release. No, to be honest I'd be interested to see their names. First names only would probably be enough to prove a little theory of mine about them.

How about “not raping”? That’s the most important work he could do to assist the public generally.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Given how seemingly hard it is to prosecute, let alone convict, these days, the evidence against this man must be overwhelming.

How could anyone want to see him back? If he's so flipping clever, let him work from his cell.

Fortunately the judge didn't buy this bullshit and handed down a (for rape) pretty decent sentence. Also, given some of the crap that leads to not guilty verdicts ("I tripped and fell, penis first, into the vagina of the unconscious under age teenage girl I had plied with alcohol, m'lud"), this guy must have been guilty as sin, and committed such an incredibly nasty rape as to leave no doubt in the mind of the jury (where juries on the whole tend not merely to believe "the dog ate my homework" but "alien space dogs from Alpha Centauri ate my homework" as excuses).

Mr Goode said McKeown had the potential to do “incredibly important work that will assist the public generally”

I repeat (and I say this as a career research scientist) the guy has just done a first degree. This statement is complete fucking hogwash.

As for the "academics with doctorates" (a) they should be fucking ashamed of themselves and (b) could be just a bunch of the post docs who supervised the rapist during his lab work sessions. (And 99.9% of career scientists have doctorates - in this context it's a bit like saying "Mr. Bloggs, who has a GCSE in English language...")

I repeat (and I say this as a career research scientist) the guy has just done a first degree. This statement is complete fucking hogwash.

Exactly. It is very telling that this is the quote from court used by the journo and that the editor failed to require it to be contextualised.

They don't look deeper for reporting on rape cases, ever.

Looks like he pleaded guilty, possibly banking on clemency from the judge.

McKeown, of Hawthorn Street, Heworth, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault.

Agreed, but at the same time I think talking about his career is relevant. Rapists can be anyone, from an unlicensed cab driver to a celebrated academic. It's worth knowing and emphasising. Rapists aren't cloaked baddies, they could be geeky fanboys who might be teaching you or your daughter esoteric post grad subjects.

Yes, that's a good point Morris, though it could have been addressed simply by saying "McKeown, who has just completed a degree in biophysics..."

And - just think - if those "academics with doctorates" got their way, he could be teaching your daughter in a few years! (Because although being on the sex offenders' register would bar him from teaching in schools, as far as I know it wouldn't bar him from teaching in universities).

McKeown, of Hawthorn Street, Heworth, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault.

He pleaded guilty. Yet still erstwhile colleagues wanted him back.

I'd interpret 'academics with doctorates, ' as 'a couple of postdocs', rather than lecturers. I'd certainly hope that a lot more weight is given to this view:
'A university spokesman said after the case: “For safeguarding and duty of care reasons, the university requires prospective students to disclose any unspent criminal convictions so it can assess whether admission can be granted.
“The university reserves the right to cancel or withdraw admission upon disclosure of such convictions. The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is of paramount importance.”'

If it was lecturers or professors they would have said so. It will be his postdoc mates.

It’s mad. He has an undergrad degree - hundreds of thousands of men have similar degrees in Britain. Should we let them off all crimes just in case?

The use of quote marks around "brilliant academic mind" isn't anything to do with eye-rolling - it's because it's a direct quote from Goode's barrister.

The "brilliant academic mind" is often the opposite of mitigation where the courts are concerned. I know of a female academic who was in court and the judge went extra hard in sentencing her because her level of intelligence meant that she really should have known better.

I guess that female medic at oxford got let off jail for stabbing her boyfriend, didn’t she, because of her potential to do good. Perhaps medics / medical researchers are treated more leniently

As a York alumna I'm appalled (but not surprised) by the ivory tower mentality of his referees. I'll be writing to the Chancellor demanding that this piece of ordure is banned from all university properties, as well as not being allowed to return to complete his studies. I suspect that the apologists will claim his 'rehabilitation' negates an ongoing risk. Until he does it again.

What about the potential of his victim that was quite probably crushed by his rape?

He can spend his time in prison studying because no university should ever offer him a PhD opportunity, where he would likely be coming in regular contact with undergraduates.

"A university spokesman said after the case: “For safeguarding and duty of care reasons, the university requires prospective students to disclose any unspent criminal convictions so it can assess whether admission can be granted.

“The university reserves the right to cancel or withdraw admission upon disclosure of such convictions. The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is of paramount importance.”

Well said, York!

And well judged, Simon Hickey.

As for "references from York academics with doctorates" - that Mickey Mouse description makes them sound very young, very unimportant in the university (wot, someone so "brilliant" isn't important enough to rate an endorsement from someone with a proper position?!) and simply not competent to speak for the university as an institution.

Given the length of his sentence, the conviction will never be 'spent',

It says he'll be on the SO register for life.

I too would like to know who wrote in support of him.