Say sorry - don't get charged for rape.....

[Greydog]

I've just come across this - I've not seen it mentioned before, and if it has been I apologise...........but I'm just stunned - www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-06-08/police-force-defends-use-of-apologies-to-deal-with-sex-offenders

That's disgusting and outrageous

Grotesque. I saw a Twitter thread about ‘radical feminists’ and our ‘rape rhetoric’ today, and apparently we all need to stop endangering transwomen and people of colour by making reference to the fact that some men rape women. The new misogyny looks very like the old misogyny.

South Yorkshire - what a surprise!

Men: do what you like to women and children, just make sure you don't 'misgender' them while you're doing it. If you do we'll have to bring the full weight of the law upon you.

'promise not to reoffend'

Is that serious?

It's like a parent reprimanding a toddler!

Not the police dealing with a rapist!

I feel sick

Sickening isn't it. We send 1000s to prison for non payment of council tax and/or tv licence. Good to see the values and priorities of dear old England. We don't seem to have progressed much from Dickensian times in many respects.

‘i think its too lenient in that I would want the accused to be on some sort of register at least...’

If you rape a person you need to go to prison. It’s a profoundly violent crime.

The linked article said none of the 78 times SYP used this method was for rape.

There are numerous examples of scenarios this could be a good police outcome, including underage consensual sex where one parent finds out and complains to the police; teen public sexual activity; teens consensually sexting; stupid teen not realising that non consensual sexting/sharing of images could result in being placed on VISOR...

I doubt a serious offence would be dealt with by this method.
But whilst I won't deny it could be misused, I'd ask that we consider there are good reasons to use this.

It says in the article that this was not in relation to rapists so your thread title is misleading. If they were getting rapists to say sorry then letting them off that would be appalling but they aren't!

stupid teen not realising that non consensual sexting/sharing of images could result in being placed on VISOR...

so….. it’s ok to protect someone who is sharing NON consensual images because ‘it’s a stupid teen’.
Any idea of the impact on the VICTIM who has had their image shared (which means no idea of where they have then been shared in the internet, if they resurface etc….)???

Sorry but the fact images shouldn’t be shared like this is is something that teenagers are told again and again through school. They have no reason to think it’s an ok thing to do.

What @DontBuyANewMumCashmere said. I also read the article properly.

Actually the article says the SY police says it didn’t use it for rape. But that it has in the middle of the 870 cases of sex offenses deal with this way across the county.

here's a bit more info - www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/victims-furious-police-forces-870-26727737

So, if person A shares an indecent image with person B and they are both under the age of 13 - then person A should be prosecuted and placed on the sex offenders register?

That sort if decision should b taken by a judge and include, potentially , referral to appropriate HCP etc….
The role of the police is to investigate, not judge whether something is serious, how it should be treated etc….

I think separating the two is essential in a working democracy.

Btw, my point was that the victim might well feel they have been fobbed off rather than their concern amen seriously. Seeing the extremely low rate of prosecution etc… for sexual assault, rape etc… including sharing indecent images, that’s an issue.
Also an issue if the sharing has been done out of spite or revenge.

I mean if a 13 yo was physically assaulting someone in the street, it would go to tribunal. So why the reluctance when is about sexual ‘misconduct’? Why is it that we then assume they didn’t know, they couldn’t have realise how serious it was etc…? Because if they do indeed not realise, then we have failed at parenting those teens (as a society)

What the hell
disgusting the police should be charged for this !!!

I think the whole point of this article is that the course of action taken is based on the wishes of the victim!!

If a woman is raped, says she wants to prosecute and police just say No, we'll make him say sorry, then yes, obviously this is appalling.

If a 12 yr old boy sends a girl a picture after she tells/asks him to, then her parents go to the police, then I'm sure the police will ask what the girl and her parents want to happen and if it's decided that a community resolution would be most appropriate then yes, actually I'm OK with that.

There are lots of 'sexual offences' - it's not always rape.

Thank you, it's good to hear it can be helpful irl.

Furthermore if a child sexts a classmate who in shock/hilarity sends it to their peers, I don't think that second kid should always, necessarily, be done for distributing indecent images of children and put on the sex offenders register!

It sounds like a teen or their family could be under quite a lot of pressure to deal with things outside of court. A bit like the college students encourage not to “ruin” the lives of perpetrators who are just starting out in life. I’m sorry but no. Assaulted teenage victims should expect the same protection as any other victim and teenage perpetrators grow up.

I pinged a friend's bra strap when we were at school. I don't know, but I suspect if a boy had done it he could be arrested for sexual assault.
Are you saying I or anyone who pings a bra strap should potentially go to prison?

Sexual offences covers a huge range of offending, it's not all serious assaults and rapes. I'm sure these types of offences wouldn't be dealt with by CR.

I’m pretty sure there isn’t anyone in prison for bra strap pinging. We really have a problem with under reporting, charging, and convicting. Not a perceived problem, not a minor problem but a HUGE problem. Women are being raped and assaulted BY THEIR THOUSANDS every year. Enough is enough.

According to the Mirror newspaper, police nationally used community resolutions 870 times to deal with sex offences, including rape.

Thats a direct quote from the article.
So while SY police explained that they only use it for minor offences blablabla, the reality is that in the country someone was given a community resolution for a rape THEY AGREED THEY DID COMMIT.

I also agree with @5zeds . How much pressure is been put on the victim there? To not ‘destroy the perpetrator’s life’. That it will be hard work. That the rate of success is very low, it will last a long time etc….
It has to put into the context of a police force that is extremely misogynistic. Because that will have a huge influence on what those women and girls will be told.

@5zeds I know I was being facetious, but trying to make the point that it's not all rapes and assaults by penetration.

@MumbleAlwaysMumble Iirc any underage sex would be crimed as Rape, so there could still be consensual underage sex that officers have to crime, investigate, and deal with.

Bottom line, I accept there might be some overuse of this and I hope very few misuses, but I believe most of these will be outcomes that the victim wants.
No victim should be pressured into accepting a CR. Where this is happening then it's inappropriate.

but trying to make the point that it's not all rapes and assaults by penetration. why? Why do you feel the need to highlight that? You are seeking to minimise sexual assault. Who are you helping by doing that?

any underage sex would be crimed as Rape, so there could still be consensual underage sex that officers have to crime, investigate, and deal with. it appears you don’t understand what consent is. Children under the age of 16 CAN’T consent because they don’t have capacity do so. Again who is it who benefits from you minimising these crimes?