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Cochise Great Old One Joined: 17 Jun 2011 Total posts: 1104 Location: Gwynedd, Wales Age: 58 Gender: Male |
 Posted: 11-09-2013 11:08 Post subject: |
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Quake, they seem to have changed their mind about charging him after the Savile case became news, which seriously questions their objectivity.
A botched case like this makes it even harder to get at the truth. You already have people saying the whole Savile business is a myth again (see comments in the Daily Mail) - which of course it might be, having never been tested in court, though I doubt it.
The mess seems to get more messy by the day. |
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| Ronson8 Things can only get better.
Great Old One Joined: 31 Jul 2001 Total posts: 6061 Location: MK Gender: Male |
| Posted: 11-09-2013 11:22 Post subject: |
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| I find the case of Nigel Evans rather odd, it's not as if he has the physique of a body builder, how was he able to subdue all these men unless drugs were involved, although that hasn't been mentioned. |
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 10:00 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Quake, they seem to have changed their mind about charging him after the Savile case became news, which seriously questions their objectivity.
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Yes - I felt quite sorry for the CPS North West guy dragged out yesterday to defend the decison to charge Levell, espcially given that he had rejected the original complaint only to be overrruled by the head of the CPS in London. It seems the girl's mother had complained that the case had been dropped and the girl had suddenly "remembered" further assaults as part of a "flashback". This really should have set major alarm bells ringing but I suspect, as you say, that the Savile furore made the CPS afraid of appearing to be "soft on celebrities".
| Quote: | A botched case like this makes it even harder to get at the truth. You already have people saying the whole Savile business is a myth again (see comments in the Daily Mail) - which of course it might be, having never been tested in court, though I doubt it.
The mess seems to get more messy by the day. |
Agreed - and it isn't helped by the radical feminist "women never lie about rape" brigade on the one hand (have a look at the twitter hashtag #ibelieveher if you want to see some astonishing examples of this). By bringing this ludicrous case the CPA has not only seriously harmed Levell but has increased general scepticism of rape/abuse claims. |
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| XBergMann Grey Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Total posts: 15 Location: Kiev, Ukraine Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 12:32 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | CPA has not only seriously harmed Levell but has increased general scepticism of rape/abuse claims. |
It would appear that Levell has not been that harmed as Corrie writers have promised him bigger and juicier parts in the show and a new contract with a base GBP250k salary. |
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 12:56 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | It would appear that Levell has not been that harmed as Corrie writers have promised him bigger and juicier parts in the show and a new contract with a base GBP250k salary.
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Which may be all very well but he has had to spend the best part of two years with these accusations hanging over him, will no doubt have spent a great deal on legal advice and as is clear from social media over the last fews days will never be seen as innocent by a significant minority of the population. I'm not sure a higher salary and more interesting storylines in a soap really make up for that. |
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| gncxx King-Size Canary
Great Old One Joined: 25 Aug 2001 Total posts: 13561 Location: Eh? Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 18:17 Post subject: |
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| Quake42 wrote: | | Which may be all very well but he has had to spend the best part of two years with these accusations hanging over him, will no doubt have spent a great deal on legal advice and as is clear from social media over the last fews days will never be seen as innocent by a significant minority of the population. |
Especially as the papers made a point of reporting he was an alcoholic who cheated on his wife when she was pregnant. |
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JamesWhitehead Piffle Prospector Joined: 02 Aug 2001 Total posts: 5779 Location: Manchester, UK Gender: Male |
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| lawofnations Great Old One Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Total posts: 130 Location: London Age: 34 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 18:52 Post subject: |
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| Quake42 wrote: | | Agreed - and it isn't helped by the radical feminist "women never lie about rape" brigade on the one hand (have a look at the twitter hashtag #ibelieveher if you want to see some astonishing examples of this). |
In its defence, that hashtag was only started due to the astonishingly high number of "women always lie about rape" tweets that were being sent, naming victims of rape whose rapists had been found guilty, and generally stating that the victims deserved it anyway. |
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 12-09-2013 23:36 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | In its defence, that hashtag was only started due to the astonishingly high number of "women always lie about rape" tweets that were being sent, naming victims of rape whose rapists had been found guilty, and generally stating that the victims deserved it anyway. |
I'm sure there were plenty of those texts going around as well. It reminds me rather of the Zimmerman case where people with axes to grind across the political spectrum project their ideology onto a real life case whilst seeming to forget that real people's lives are at risk of being utterly destroyed.
it is as ludicrous to claim that allegations of rape must always be believed as it is to claim that women make up malicious allegations as a matter of course. Some allegations will be entirely false and/or malicious. Others will be entirely accurate. A further tranche will represent events where both parties may genuinely believe their own version of events.
Criminal convictions need to be based on a high standard of proof. In the Le Vell case the best that could be said that it was one person's word against another. There was no medical or circumstantial evidence to support the complainant's allegations, which were apparently made years after the event following attendance at a conference at which a motivational speaker spoke of her own successful career which she had managed despite being abused at s a child. When prosecutors were unconvinced by these claims she suddenly remembered additional incidents which came to her in flashbacks. Shades of the SRA panic?
This series of events should surely have set alarm bells ringing at the CPS and continuing such a weak case does no favours to victims of sexual violence. Similarly, the #ibelieveher crew make me despair. I have no idea why they believe they are helping to situation. |
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| JamesWhitehead Piffle Prospector Joined: 02 Aug 2001 Total posts: 5779 Location: Manchester, UK Gender: Male |
| Posted: 13-09-2013 00:39 Post subject: |
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The biggest factor in the Le Vell case which ought to have given the CPS pause for thought is the one that everyone is forbidden from reporting, though it must have been made explicit to the jury.
I do tend to agree with those who feel that the spotlight on ancient tv personalities distracts attention from the antics of today's wannabe world. Mind you, we have a major political figure's resignation today as a possible preface to another lurid trial. Anyone following the links to the Smith story will see that the recent arrest of a certain guesthouse-owner may signal movement on an issue which has been fermenting underground for a long time.
We shall see - or not, according to the clouds of witness. 
edit: "possible" added to second paragraph. |
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| stuneville Administrator
Joined: 09 Mar 2002 Total posts: 10230 Location: FTMB HQ Age: 46 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 14-09-2013 07:35 Post subject: |
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| JW wrote: | | Anyone following the links to the Smith story will see that the recent arrest of a certain guesthouse-owner may signal movement on an issue which has been fermenting underground for a long time. |
That one's a very slow burn, I think. Hugely complex and with many vested interests - it'll be interesting to see if it ever gets enough legs to get to court (or enquiry.)
| Quake42 wrote: | | Quote: | It would appear that Levell has not been that harmed as Corrie writers have promised him bigger and juicier parts in the show and a new contract with a base GBP250k salary.
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Which may be all very well but he has had to spend the best part of two years with these accusations hanging over him..I'm not sure a higher salary and more interesting storylines in a soap really make up for that. |
Quite. I mentioned on (I think) the other Savile thread that a teacher friend of mine ran into serious trouble over a 16 year old student who'd become obsessed by him: when he'd politely declined her very overt advances she accused him of systematic abuse (he'd done all the right things from the off, told the head immediately he'd become aware of her attentions, classes were moved around etc.) Long story short, he was suspended whilst the accusation was investigated, it inevitably leaked, and he spent months in a hellish limbo. Eventually was completely exonerated, the girl admitted to the enquiry that she'd lied as "revenge" for being rebuffed, and he was reinstated, but mud sticks and within a year his career at that school (and by extension anywhere within a hundred miles) was over as parents pulled their kids from his classes.
It nearly cost him his family and his sanity, lost him his job and only now, seven years on, is he finally back to doing a fulfilling job, albeit in a completely different field. His first love was education though, and he was very good at it - it just took one petulant kid to nearly destroy his life.
Crying wolf, in the end, only benefits the wolves. |
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 16-09-2013 12:20 Post subject: |
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30 arrests in Northern Ireland over alleged abuse of children in care homes. It remains to be seen whether this fits here or in the "street grooming" thread.
| Quote: | Thirty arrests made in child sex abuse investigation
More than 30 people have been arrested as part of a major investigation into the sexual exploitation of children and young people in Northern Ireland.
A number have already appeared in court charged with sexual exploitation and other offences.
The police have identified a group of 22 young people - aged between 13 and 18 - that may have been abused.
The investigation follows a review of cases of young people missing from the care system over the past 18 months.
A team of 15 detectives and social workers is working on the investigation.
The issue is to be discussed at Stormont on Monday during a joint meeting of the assembly's health and justice committees.
Almost two years ago, a survey by the charity, Barnardos, claimed two thirds of young girls in care homes here were at risk of sexual exploitation.
The charity provided the police with the names of potential victims. That survey was funded by the Department of Health.
The vast majority of the victims were young girls. It is understood a small number of young boys were also involved.
Police fear the number of victims will increase.
At this stage, police have not uncovered any evidence to suggest this is the work of a large-scale sex ring or sex rings.
Police talk of loose associations of people and friends who groom these young people by buying them gifts, taking them out and providing them with drink and drugs and then having sex with them - in some cases, then passing them around to other people.
Most of the suspected offenders are in their early 20s but the eldest under suspicion is 60.
Police say they have firm suspects in each of the cases being investigated.
The number of arrests is expected to increase.
Health Minister Edwin Poots and Justice Minister David Ford are due to attend the Stormont meeting.
In a statement, Mr Poots said: "The Safeguarding Board Northern Ireland has identified child sexual exploitation as a priority and is developing and agreeing a multi-agency action plan to deal with the issue.
"Our first priority is to ensure that those who cynically exploit children in this way face the full force of the law and are brought to justice. That is why I have given my full support to the joint investigation between the PSNI and Social Services of CSE currently under way.
"All agencies must continue to demonstrate that robust and sufficient action is being taken to both prevent children and young people being sexually exploited and to deal effectively with those who perpetrate child sexual exploitation."
The health minister has said the abuse was on a scale not seen before in Northern Ireland and compared it to recent high-profile court cases in Rochdale and Oxford.
The majority of the children were abused when they went missing from care homes but it is understood some of the victims were living at home with their families and were abused when they left their homes.
Justice
Monday's Stormont meeting was called by the justice committee chairman, Paul Givan, who described the reports of abuse as "gravely disturbing".
"The horrors of these crimes leave us only to pray for the victims and work towards ensuring the perpetrators are brought to justice," he said.
"The public will be deeply concerned at this development and need to hear from the relevant authorities as to what has happened."
Mr Givan said the meeting would provide "an opportunity to probe what actions are being taken to investigate and bring to justice those responsible".
Neil Anderson, of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, (NSPCC), said: "As the details of this investigation begin to unfold, I want to stress NSPCC's commitment to working closely with other safeguarding and child protection agencies to ensure a co-ordinated response to the support of victims.
"The early focus of this investigation in Northern Ireland has been on children in care, but it is important to remember that vulnerable children from all backgrounds and all walks of life can become victims of sexual exploitation.
"This is a sharp reminder that every one of us has to remain vigilant and when we have concerns about a child, we have to speak out."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24103344 |
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| JamesWhitehead Piffle Prospector Joined: 02 Aug 2001 Total posts: 5779 Location: Manchester, UK Gender: Male |
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| cherrybomb Skating the thin crust
Great Old One Joined: 26 Aug 2009 Total posts: 1005 Location: Sitting on the roof at dusk Gender: Female |
| Posted: 23-09-2013 11:37 Post subject: |
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Entertainer Rolf Harris has appeared in court charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four of making indecent images of children.
During the brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, the 83-year-old spoke only to answer personal details.
He was bailed and his case was referred to Southwark Crown Court where he is due to appear on 7 October.
Mr Harris was first arrested in March by police investigating historical allegations of child sexual abuse.
The artist, of Bray, Berkshire, was accompanied to court by his wife Alwen.
He spoke only to say his name, address and date of birth.
Six charges relate to the alleged indecent assault of a girl aged 15-16 between 1980 and 1981 and three relate to a girl aged 14 in 1986.
The indecent images of children were alleged to have been made last year.
More on the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24204750 |
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 21362 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
| Posted: 23-09-2013 11:50 Post subject: |
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| I guess several people who paid a lot for his paintings could see their values tumble if any of these charges are proved... |
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