49 year old man has sex with a 14 year old girl - no rape charges...

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

but that's speculation... none of us know the girl, what she looks like or what happened in the situation! So we don't know if it's likely or not!

You misread my comment. I said if you agree it's likely HE knew she was 14 then it's rape. And it is because she is not of the age of consent.

It has nothing to do with knowing the girl, or what happened or what she looks like. It is based purely on her age. If he knew her age was 14 it's rape.
I think he knew her age. I think all of the information given in the article indicates that.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Of the police investigators I've known they only tend to throw the book at you if they know you're guilty as sin and they have the evidence to back themselves up. If they suspect a genuine mistake and the evidence suggests that then they've been known to drop charges and file charges for lesser crimes. They can't charge you if they don't have something to back it up.
I don't think this guy is the next Nelson Mandela or something.

They're not gonna go lenient on someone who's had sex with a 14 year old girl... REGARDLESS of the situation and whether they think he's genuine or not.

Jeremy1012

Jeanie wrote:

It already does fail as many people as it provides justice for.

At last look I think the figures here are 1 in 3 women have been raped. There aren't nearly that many cases going to trail. There's a reason for that.

And besides if you agree that it's likely that he did know she was 14 then it is rape.

Look, it's just that, in spite of Helen's experience that she mentioned, you, as a woman, have less of a concern than I, or any other guy does that, at some point in your life, a sexual encounter that you genuinely believed to be legitimate might end up ruining your life and you'll go to jail and be labelled a rapist. I'm not willing to make THAT judgement based on the information provided here. It's a complex thing that really goes beyond that debate which might be offered on a message board I've not seen this girl, for all I know she did look 19. I've seen many girls that age who looked older.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

I also never visit bondage sites... and I've no idea what goes on there. This is a music site. I've made friends and had people stay at my house who I've never met before. If I was the kinda person who was inclined to visit bondage sites, I might be inclined to be offering up some other kinda meeting who knows what people get off on? Strangers meet off the net to have sex all the time... it's not something I'd EVER do and I agree that it's weird... but there ARE people who do it.

Besides we don't know if anybody else has been investigated. Is talking sexually online to someone claiming to be 19 a crime yet?

I've got another canine emergency here and it's 1.45am. :eek:

I'll be back to answer this one properly in the morning.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

I've got another canine emergency here and it's 1.45am. :eek:

I'll be back to answer this one properly in the morning.

Okies good night! I think we may eventually end up having to agree to disagree on this one... I can see where you're coming from and in MOST cases you're most likely right... but there ARE cases (and this may not be one... but given that I wasn't on the jury or I wasn't in the head of either of these two people I simply don't know) where it's a simple mistake... albeit one that could ruin 2 lives. There's no doubt that there ARE those cases... and I feel sorry for THOSE guys. I don't know if THIS guy is one of them but it's just an example.

facepollution

Jeanie wrote:

Well regardless, the law would be different in that case anyway because the age difference between you isn't as great. Or should I say the likelihood that the police would throw the book at you in that situation is less.
There's a reason they charged him with as much as they did, it's because they know he's guilty.

And you think it's beyond the police throwing the book at someone they find to be morally wrong? Of course they are going to try and pin every possible charge on him, particularly because of the nature of this crime.

Jeanie wrote:

Had they not felt with the evidence they had that they could secure a conviction they'd probably not have gone ahead with the case anyway and they certainly wouldn't have filed as many charges.

Familiar with the West Memphis Three case?

jasonw

Jeanie wrote:

Yeah, but Helen WHY didn't you fancy them?

I reckon it's because instinctually you knew they were trying too hard as a 13 year old would probably be doing. So perhaps at the time you didn't know they were underage but I bet on some level you knew something wasn't right.

It seems like you know an awful lot about what everyone else is thinking.....

angryyoungman

i dont know jeanie, the guy may be guilty of being a scumbag but he's not a rapist in this situation. . .not everyone has the great deductive reasoning skills that you may have to figure out someone is underage. . . and just because the guy isn't attractive to you that means no other girl could possibly think he was?. . .im sorry but at 14 years old you should have a pretty good understanding you shouldn't be getting involved with much older men, and if you don't then it is the parents fault. . .we're not talking about a 7 year old here, we are talking about a 14 year old

angryyoungman

your passionate responses about this lead me to believe you have had some kind of issue similar to this in your personal expierience and you're correlating that to this case

aNiMaL

I wish I could find the original story (without paying for the archive), but I remember reading about it then. A reader on the Newspaper's website listed some facts that I recall reading about when the story originally broke:

Before you label this man as a "sicko" you need to understand the original facts of this case.

First: the man believed that he was communicating with an adult.

Second: the girl continued to contact him even though he told her to stop.

Third: he demanded proof that she was the age that she claimed (19). She then submitted a false birth certificate to him to show that.

Fourth: just because you may not consider internet sex appropiate, it is legal between adults and again he had ever reason to believe that she was as such.

Fifth: the girls mother even told investigators and later testified that her daughter had a history of doing this making one wonder who is really the victim and who is the sick individual here.

Sixth: Judge Vicky Hogan has a history of making strange rulings against men and it makes one wonder if she is biased against them. In this case, she dis-allowed all testimony that most likely would have proven this man as innocent. The state should now begin an intense investigation on this Judges conduct and consider her removal from the bench.

haffajappa

aNiMaL wrote:

I wish I could find the original story (without paying for the archive), but I remember reading about it then. A reader on the Newspaper's website listed some facts that I recall reading about when the story originally broke:

Before you label this man as a "sicko" you need to understand the original facts of this case.

First: the man believed that he was communicating with an adult.

Second: the girl continued to contact him even though he told her to stop.

Third: he demanded proof that she was the age that she claimed (19). She then submitted a false birth certificate to him to show that.

Fourth: just because you may not consider internet sex appropiate, it is legal between adults and again he had ever reason to believe that she was as such.

Fifth: the girls mother even told investigators and later testified that her daughter had a history of doing this making one wonder who is really the victim and who is the sick individual here.

Sixth: Judge Vicky Hogan has a history of making strange rulings against men and it makes one wonder if she is biased against them. In this case, she dis-allowed all testimony that most likely would have proven this man as innocent. The state should now begin an intense investigation on this Judges conduct and consider her removal from the bench.

yeah, i'm still sticking to the opinion that it was the girl who chose to put herself in the scenario...

some girls my age find 40 year old's appealing... in fact i have a friend who has been dating a 40 year old... sorry i havn't really been following the threa but i skimmed over that argument and just thought i'd put that out there.

_Crazy_Mary_

AmentsChick wrote:

P.S. Where the hell were the girl's parents???

that's what I want to know!

I have a 12 year old and I know where she is at all times.

haffajappa

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

that's what I want to know!

I have a 12 year old and I know where she is at all times.

esp. when the mother says that she's done this before?
how do you let her have access to a computer....

NeilJam

ZiggyStar wrote:

Sick fuck. I've never seen a 14 year old girl that could absolutely pass as being 19....how these people "don't realise" is beyond me.

I think you have to look at it the other way around. I have known a few women that were in their 20's and could easily pass as young teenagers.

haffajappa

I don't know about the girl being unable to look 19....
teenagers on american shows always look like they are like, 25 to us lil' canadians

catefrances

anyone seen the movie hard candy?

haffajappa

catefrances wrote:

anyone seen the movie hard candy?

i always walk by it on the shelf at work but never get around to watching