Comment: In the news story below, a woman falsely accused a man with whom she had consensual relations of raping her because she supposedly was afraid of what her boyfriend might do if he found out.
The man was arrested and subjected to a humiliating interrogation and medical examination.
Approximately two weeks later, the liar recanted. She apologized to the man, and the Sheriff chided her: "By your behaviour, you rendered a completely innocent member of the public to a lengthy and humiliating process."
Her sentence? 200 hours of community service.
Did you get that? No jail time whatsoever.
Let's put that in perspective: if a man or boy continued having sex with a woman for several seconds after she told him to stop, he could go to prison for rape for years.
Did you get that? Several seconds.
This woman put a man through hell not for several seconds but for two weeks. And she gets essentially nothing.
Let's put this in terms no one can misunderstand:
Rape: Male fails to withdraw for several seconds after being told to "stop" = male gets several years in prison.
False rape claim: Female's lie leads to male's detention and two weeks of humiliation and incalculable fear of not knowing if he would serve decades in prison = female gets 200 hours of community service.
By any measure, is that fair? Is that just?
And is there any question why false rape claims are not deterred?
HERE IS THE NEWS STORY:
False rape claim girl 'panicked'
A WOMAN who falsely cried rape was sentenced to 200 hours community service at Inverness Sheriff Court this week.
Louise Bain (25) met a man she knew in Inverness and had consensual sexual conduct with him, before panicking and running away, the court heard.
Bain was afraid what would happen to her if her boyfriend found out she had been with another man, according to her defence solicitor John McColl.
She pled guilty to telling two police constables at Northern Constabulary medical suite in Dalneigh that she had been sexually assaulted and raped on September 16 last year by the man and caused officers to devote their time and effort into an investigation which she knew to be false.
The court heard that the police detained the falsely accused man and he was placed in a detention room before a lengthy taped interview took place.
Fiscal Sandy Collie explained that the man was then subjected to a full medical examination before being released.
He said that the man would have had a very worrying couple of weeks until September 29, when Bain, of Yuill Avenue, Buckie, retracted her statement.
Mr McColl explained the man who was falsely accused had acted in the proper manner and stopped sexual conduct when Bain indicated that she no longer wanted to go on.
He said that some of Bain's behaviour could be down to her past, but she accepted that this was a very serious charge and wished to make apologies to the man she falsely accused.
Sheriff Robert Fleetwood warned Bain he could have jailed her but deemed community service appropriate in this case.
He said: "By your behaviour, you rendered a completely innocent member of the public to a lengthy and humiliating process."
Link: http://www.highland-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/5368/False_rape_claim_girl__panicked_.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
There are still many, many, legions of men, who believe "women never ever, ever, ever, lie about rape...WHY WOULD THEY LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT????
Ah, you mean there are legions of feminists (read feministing.com) that insist no woman would EVER lie about being raped. Perhaps it's because they have worked to stretch the definition of rape to go so far as to include "she felt guilty two days later."
ah, i would refine it even further and say, it's not legions of feminists..It is legions of "new gender feminists" that have usurped our legal system, to the degree that it is common to prejudice against innocent men, while enabling violent women.
True and correct.
Is it fair and just? The US criminal just us system doesn't do "fair."
It's open season on men.
It has been an open season on men.
I feel that these sorts of situations are the result not of some femi-nazi takeover of the legal system -- something that is laughable, in my book -- but rather a small persistant and perverse take on "chivalry" and a difficulty dealing with a double-standard of women in society. (We women, powerful and vulnerable at the same time...an interesting yet oft hypocritical paradox.) Let's face it: the down and dirty details of sexual relationships are still taboo in many Western societies; "ladies don't tell and gentlemen don't ask." Our legal system is still a male-dominated world. It doesn't surprise me in the least that some basic and awkward facet of human nature (hoping to skirt such a "sensitive" topic)allows the favor to fall on the woman's testimony rather than the accused man's defense.
But OF COURSE that doesn't make it right. Personally I don't see how a case of lying about rape is any different from any other example of perjury and false accusation(and it should be punished as such...not just some slap on the wrist). I also don't see why there seems to be some sort of loophole in which sufficient evidence to convict the accused need not necessarily be procured. This, too, shouldn't be any different from any other trial -- if the evidence isn't there, you shouldn't have much of a case.
Everybody makes mistakes here and there, but we shouldn't be allowing people of any gender to let their second thoughts or vengeful tactics disrupt or destroy another's freedom. When we start punishing false accusers as they should be punished, future cases will be deterred and maybe the point will hit home (sexually speaking and otherwise): think before you act.
Post a Comment