Yesterday, April Rose Ibbotson, a troubled 20-year-old, was found dead in Ontario of unknown causes. She is remembered in a 1,102 word obituary in the Ontario Sun Times that chronicles her fun loving nature, troubled past, and chronic heart condition. She is called "a happy girl who, despite her troubled past, was always joking and laughing and would do anything for anyone." Someone who knew her said: "She was an awesome girl." A friend on a social networking site said: "This is definitely one life that was cut too short!!"
The story, in its tone and length, is the kind usually reserved for troubled young celebrities whose excesses have led to tragic deaths. It is the kind of heartrending, humanizing story you would never read about a 20-year-old male who had pled guilty to rape, for instance, regardless of how troubled his past or how fun loving his nature.
To put the length of the story into perspective: today's New York Times contains the obituary of Albert J. Rosenthal, former dean of Columbia Law School: it was 298 words in length.
Interestingly, you have to read 765 words into the story about Ibbotson before you read a single word about her two false rape accusations.
Regular readers of this blog might remember Ms. Ibbotson because we've previously featured her here. Perhaps the most distinctive point about her cases is the following: the news accounts chronicling her false rape claims always made sure to mention the beating and stabbing of a black man that occurred in the same vicinity, shortly after Ibbotson's second accusation, after he was falsely accused of rape by persons at a restaurant. The news accounts, and the Crown prosecutor, insisted there was no connection between that innocent man's injuries and Ms. Ibbottson's rape lies.
Yes, dear readers, Ms. Ibbotson's story is tragic, but not for the reasons hinted at in today's obituary. She made two despicable, racist false rape claims and received essentially no punishment for them. She should have been in prison at the time she died, and if she had been, it's possible she would have received the medical attention she needed to save her life. Her story is tragic because it underscores both the news media's and the law enforcement system's insistence on treating false rape claims as something other than serious crimes, and in treating false rape accusers as something other than "real" criminals -- they are treated as victims of their own troubled pasts who need counseling, not punishment. One of the most startling lines in the entire false rape milieu was spoken by the Crown prosecutor, who said this about Ibbotson's false rape claims: "[P]erhaps it's understandable," given her background.
Read that last line again. Let it sink in.
And now you see what we're up against.
Ibbotson's story is worth retelling for the sad lessons it teaches:
Back in 2008, Ibbotson pleaded guilty to mischief by misleading police to believe she had been sexually assaulted twice -- within weeks of each other -- on June 21 and again July 24:
Ibbotson's June 21 false accusation: She contacted police at 11 p. m. and reported that she had been approached from behind and dragged near a fence at about 9:30 p. m. She alleged her underpants were taken down and she was sexually assaulted. She was examined in hospital. Police established a crime scene in the area where she said she'd been raped by a black man 6'3" or 6'4" inches tall, with a moustache and goatee. Police canvassed people in the area. Investigators grew suspicious due to "discrepancies" in her statements to police. When challenged to explain these differences, Ibbotson admitted she'd lied about being raped.
Ibbotson's July 24 false accusation: At 12:24 a. m., Ibbotson again reported to police she'd been raped by a man of similar description as the first false accusation. She said she'd been dragged from a catwalk and was sexually assaulted, and then escaped. Police established another crime scene, searched for forensic evidence, and sent Ibbotson to the hospital for an examination. She declined to go, however, saying she was tired. But police interviewed a white 16-year-old male who said he and Ibbotson had been together all evening and had sex just off the catwalk prior to her going home that night.
You read that right. He was 16 years old. (I am not aware of any statutory rape charges against Ibbotson for this act.)
Black man beaten and stabbed: A 42-year-old black man in the vicinity was near-fatally beaten and stabbed after being wrongly accused of rape on July 29. A Crown prosecutor took pains not to blame Ibbotson for the stabbing, which he alleged was fueled by mistaken accusations that the victim had raped someone. The Crown prosecutor blamed the local "rumour mill," and said there was no evidence that the rape allegations made against the victim of the stabbing referred to Ibbotson's rape claims.
It bears noting that the black man had been falsely accused of rape by an unknown female (the news accounts don't say it was Ibottson). Later that day late in July (which was five days after Ibbotson's second false rape claim), the man was approached by a 17-year-old girl who had been drinking. She hit him and used racial slurs against him while he called police on his cellphone. This assault led to the man's beating and stabbing by four young men, three of whom were 19-years-old and one was 23. The beaten man was rushed to hospital in a cab and underwent emergency surgery. He had been stabbed at least once in the chest. The young men were all jailed (at least one was given a custodial sentence) while the young woman -- who had started the assault -- was released and given two years probation. The police investigated whether the young men were motivated in part by racism. "Police say they believe the female’s actions were not racially motivated."
Sentencing: On July 29, Ibbotson was charged with two counts of mischief for misleading police. Justice Julia Morneau accepted her guilty plea. Ibbotson received a suspended sentence and 18 months probation after serving 58 days in jail. Justice Morneau considered the young woman's difficult past as presented by defence lawyer Jill Gamble. Gamble said Ibbotson has endured sexual abuse and suffers from addiction and "significant physical ailments."
Assistant Crown attorney Peter Leger joined the defence in recommending the sentence. Leger said of Ibbotson's false accusations of rape, "perhaps it's understandable" given her background.
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25 comments:
What criminal doesn't have a troubled past? When is that an excuse?
Sorry she died but at least there is one less false accuser on this earth. (sorry that was cruel but it's how I feel)
CBGirl
I must confess, CBGirl, I had the same reaction.
Not wishing to speak ill of the dead -- because I am sure all the things her friends are saying are accurate -- but her life and death are newsworthy only because of those two horrible episodes from 1998. And the way those false rape claims were treated (or, more accurately, ignored) is the lesson that should be learned.
Just a minute here, when I was in college campus rape activists told me that a woman would never ever, ever, ever lie about rape!
They lied to me!
From now on I'm going to follow the money.
Wharton man charged with sexual assault of girl who previously recanted
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/morris_county_man_charged_agai.html
I wonder if we'll ever really know what happened?
--BB
In the words of the Queen song.
"...another one bites the dust..."
Speak ill of the dead?
I will, while making the point that I would never dream of doing anything violent to my FRA, I will also happily state that the only sad thing about their deaths will be the lost opportunities to serve legal revenge cold, and thus have them be an example to others.
At least dead they can no longer make false accusations.
Eh, I'm more than willing to speak ill of the dead. I will not censor my true feelings for the sake of feminists or any other form of Nazi.
Good fucking riddance.
Feminists, please follow her example. This world will be a better place.
Snark, what's with the bicycle? I kind of like it.
I believe that someone can do terrible things at some point in his or her life and not be "evil." I believe in reformation. However, when you go to write about that person publicly, you can't blink at the truly bad things, or rush past the lessons we need to take from those bad things, or you do a terrible disservice to persons who might have suffered by them, and to persons interested in eradicating the sort of bad things they've done.
I understand that the rumors about the black man were not connected with her -- I get it -- now, even assuming that's true, her lies easily could have caused someone terrible harm. The harm to the black man illustrates that. Scott always brings up the boy killed with a baseball bat due to a false rape claim -- well, this lie came close to killing an innocent man, too.
Crying "rape" without cause, even when it doesn't identify a specific male, is the same as wearing a blindfold and firing a pistol into a crowded playground. THAT'S how serious it is. You'd never know it from this article.
I love how she's being remembered by her friend whom she met at the abused women's center, where she was lying about having been abused! I guess these shelters are a fun place for false rape accusers and victims to form lasting relationships.
This obituary should start with DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD...
@ Archivist.
"forgiveness" is something that can be bestowed for minor transgressions.
When you do something truly awful, there is never "forgiveness", the only possibility is "atonement", and that has to come from within.
Some people wonder why any woman would ever lie about being raped.
They should read this obituary. This slime made a lot of friends by raping two innocent men; friends who will continue to masturbate her even after she's dead.
There are some very high rewards in terms of attention and social support when a woman lies about being raped -- rewards that feminists have put in place.
Do you think she'd be getting this star treatment if she hadn't raped two innocent men? There probably wouldn't even be a mention of her if it weren't for her crimes.
Nobody would have cared about her at all if she hadn't falsely accused. Her crimes paid handsomely.
Letting girls tell stories in the privacy of their own homes is one thing..forcing society to believe their rape lies is another..and that "another" is now a perversion of the law enforcement community.
Break the gender feminist / law enforcement misinformation Alliance..it is not only a perversion, but is un-constitutional.
Get gender feminism out of our legal system...they are perverting it to the point where truth is irrelevant.
"The police investigated whether the young men were motivated in part by racism. "Police say they believe the female’s actions were not racially motivated."
Of course not, because as we know women are angels, aren't racist, sexist, or abusers, and rarely, if ever make false rape accusations. Meanwhile "she hit him and used racial slurs against him while he called police on his cellphone."
I'm tired of these White Knights and maniginas enabling and protecting women. Hey guys, stop being hypnoticed by p*ssy and making life difficult for the rest of us. Losers.
I can't help but notice similarities to a case here in Canberra over the past few days.
People in Canberra are blaming police for the death of a career criminal because he led them a merry chase. The chase ended in 4 deaths after he ran two red lights, including his own.
It's getting an awful lot of media attention, including the angle of "poor him, he was so troubled". Yeah, so troubled that he started stealing cars at age 8 and was on bail from two states for similar offenses.
"Snark, what's with the bicycle? I kind of like it."
I like it too, and there is absolutely no need for a fish in the picture.
You know, I don't doubt that this young woman was very troubled. But, funny, nobody wants to hear that a young rapist (for example, a kid who went "too far" with his girlfriend after she told him to stop) is troubled, even though he might be. To society, he's a monster who should have his balls cut off. I think that some of the reaction about this young woman manifests justifiable built-up rage with a system that shuts a blind eye to false rape claims.
Troubled or not, the young woman should have received an extended custodial sentence for these two false rape claims. I have a suspicion that it might have set her on the right track. As it is, we have a generation of young women who've never been disciplined for the ultimate misuse of language -- falsely crying rape.
The only reason I would attend the funeral of a false rape accuser is to make sure she is dead.
And I would send the falsely accused man some expensive cigars and champagne, and a card offering my congratulations.
"Just a minute here, when I was in college campus rape activists told me that a woman would never ever, ever, ever lie about rape!
They lied to me!
From now on I'm going to follow the money."
How many times are you going to post the same exact comment?
Eh, at least it's a new exact same comment .. makes a nice change from the gender feminist/law enforcement misinformation alliance being a perversion and un-constitutional.
When crystal mangum dies they will probably erect a statue and name a month after her and call it rape awareness month.
"When crystal mangum dies they will probably erect a statue and name a month after her and call it rape awareness month."
Good one! ROFL!
"Eh, at least it's a new exact same comment .. makes a nice change from the gender feminist/law enforcement misinformation alliance being a perversion and un-constitutional."
Broken record is still broken.
"When crystal mangum dies they will probably erect a statue and name a month after her and call it rape awareness month."
I laughed at that one! But let's remember that actual rape victims -- not the screeching, man-hating banshees who have made rape a sacrament in their cult of female victimhood -- loathe and detest Mangum and any other false rape accuser. But your point is well-taken: unfortunately, the public discourse about rape is dominated by the screeching banshees who care less about actual rape victims than about preseving the facade of female oppression and subjugation.
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