Yeah, right! Posted FYI without comment

[mismused]

delete

 

[rgraham666]

Grrrrr.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I'm not surprised. It's Italy!

But I hear ya... it's very twisted...

 

[Lauren Hynde]

If you're not a virgin, then sex crimes aren't as serious.

I don't think that was at all what was implied by the court's decision, to tell the truth. The rape was still a rape and punishable as a rape. But to add, on top of the rape, an aggravating factor of the victim being a child - when he/she is sexually active and therefore not exactly a child, not prepubescent - is obviously something that should be taken into account. It makes a lot more sense than establishing a random age for when he/she stops being a child.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Three years and four months for raping a 14 year old girl? And that's with the factor of her age.

Now they are going to lessen then sentence?


I don't have words, but travesty of justice readily comes to mind.

 

[R. Richard]

I don't think that was at all what was implied by the court's decision, to tell the truth. The rape was still a rape and punishable as a rape. But to add, on top of the rape, an aggravating factor of the victim being a child - when he/she is sexually active and therefore not exactly a child, not prepubescent - is obviously something that should be taken into account. It makes a lot more sense than establishing a random age for when he/she stops being a child.

The problem when you allow previous sexual activity to be a factor becomes, "How do you determine that there has been previous sexual activity?"

I am Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. I hire a couple of liars to claim they previously had sex with the 14-year-old. Now I get a very light sentence because I had a good lawyer and bribed witnesses. Hell, if my lawyer can get to the judge, I may walk with paper!

JMHO.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

The problem when you allow previous sexual activity to be a factor becomes, "How do you determine that there has been previous sexual activity?"

I am Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. I hire a couple of liars to claim they previously had sex with the 14-year-old. Now I get a very light sentence because I had a good lawyer and bribed witnesses. Hell, if my lawyer can get to the judge, I may walk with paper!

JMHO.

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. Now I get no jail sentence because I bribed the investigators, the district attorney, and the judge.

or

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. I hire a couple of liars to claim they previously had sex with the 14-year-old. Now I get an aggravated sentence for perjury, active corruption, and obstruction of justice, on top of the rape of a child.


Either a justice system works or it doesn't. To make law based on the assumption it doesn't, makes sure it never will.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

This is the same court that ruled that verbally abusing your spouse in front of others and humiliating them is not legitimate grounds for divorce. The hubby who got screwed by this court naturally was pissed over that one.

 

[R. Richard]

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. Now I get no jail sentence because I bribed the investigators, the district attorney, and the judge.

or

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. I hire a couple of liars to claim they previously had sex with the 14-year-old. Now I get an aggravated sentence for perjury, active corruption, and obstruction of justice, on top of the rape of a child.


Either a justice system works or it doesn't. To make law based on the assumption it doesn't, makes sure it never will.

Lauren Hynde, you have the theory quite well. Now for the practical.

I am Joe Richguy. I did not perjure myself, in fact, I did not testify. I did not hire the liars, nor did my lawyer; the liars were hired by an offshore corporation. [The money tranfer was handled by "Mr. Bags."] I did not bribe the DA or the judge, my lawyer handled the matter. It may be that my lawyer did not even bribe the DA and/or the judge. In the politics of the situation, it may be that my lawyer managed to trade favors. I did "bribe" my lawyer, but that's legal. [If my lawyer has been able to "bribe" the parent(s) of the child, I might not even have had to go to court!]

Been there, done that! Incidently I was working for the parents.

 

[3113]

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. Now I get no jail sentence because I bribed the investigators, the district attorney, and the judge.

or

Hi, I'm Joe Richguy. I rape a 14-year-old. I hire a couple of liars to claim they previously had sex with the 14-year-old. Now I get an aggravated sentence for perjury, active corruption, and obstruction of justice, on top of the rape of a child.

Um...apples and oranges. It costs a bit more, and it's a bit harder to bribe investigators, DA's and the Judge--assuming they'll take the bribe, keep to the agreement, and risk their careers on it. It's pretty darn easy, on the other hand, to cheaply hire two liars to say they had sex with a girl when they didn't--they might even do it for free if they're your friends or don't like the girl...no proof needed.

That's the whole POINT--that it's EASY to make the sentence for rape lighter given this ruling. If the ruling remains the same, THEN you have to bribe investagators, judge, etc, and that's much harder, more expensive and less likely to work.

 

[Kev H]

My first thought was "I am so glad this ruling did not happen in the US," and my second thought was "I hope the 'Bubba' in his prison makes his relatively short stay unbearably long."

If this kinda thinking/rationalization becomes the majority, I am positive it will signal an erosion of the legal protection of our young (and I expect to see alot of killings as reprisals for such acts).

 

[BlackShanglan]

The other issue that disturbs me here is that the court appears not to have considered the possibility that her early sexual activity could have been symptomatic of other abuse. There are, of course, young girls who simply want to have sex. But there are also young girls who have already been taught that that's the way men relate to girls of their age.

Shanglan

 

[Liar]

Just for the record, I've seen people react on her low age here. The age of consent in Italy is 14. So legally, it's not abuse of a minor.

Doesn't make things more right though. And it wasn't the issue to begin with either. Guy's still undeniably a rapist, and deserves the sharpest sentence there is for the crime.

 

[SeaCat]

Sounds to me like the Italian Supreme Court Judges need to be tied bent over a railing, butt naked, in the town square without police protection for at least 24 hours. Might, maybe, change their attitudes a bit about rape.

Cat

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I'm not surprised. It's Italy!

But I hear ya... it's very twisted...

I'm sad to say that the exact same thing happened in Sweden last year, except that the girl was even younger, 12, I think. The guy got an easier punishment, because the judge thought that since the girl was only 12 years old, she wasn't old enough to fully realize how she had been violated, and therefor the damage wasn't as serious as it would have been if she had been a grown-up woman.

No, I don't know in what country the judge has seeked asyle...