UK "law" goes wrong again
What with Spanner, and 50-odd cops raiding "Club Whiplash" on some kind of "licencing breach", the CJB, and all the other stuff I don't think many of us need convincing the law in the UK is more than a little mad, but I just found this in "The Times" (Conservative broadsheet newspaper, not bought by me) which is absolutely disgusting, but I thought people here might be interested.... (Article included in full).
"Jury throws out student rape case" By Emma Wilkins
p3, "The Times", 1st December 1994

An art student was cleared of raping a 20-year-old girl yesterday after a court was told of her interest in rubber clothing and body-piercing.

Ben Emerson, 21, from Loughborough, Leicestershire, wept as the jury found him not guilty before hearing the case for his defence. They took just two minutes to reach their verdict after Judge Appleby, QC, asked if they needed to hear more evidence after the prosecution had set out its case.

Mr Emerson, who denied raping the girl in January this year, later condemned the decision to bring the prosecution. "It was a political experiment and it went wrong," he said. Leicester Crown Court heard that Mr Emerson met the girl in a Loughborough nightclub and later returned to her home, where she took off her rubber skirt and allowed him to massage her back with baby oil. The girl, who is a student, kept a riding crop by her bed and had intimate parts of her body pierced, the court was told. Carl Gaskell, for the prosecution, said she had peculiar sexual habits, but was still entitled to say no to sexual intercourse.

After the massage, the pair fell asleep on the bed, but she awoke later to find Mr Emerson on top of her. She told the court she became upset and said: "Do you understand what you've done to me?" He said "Yes", she claimed.

"I said: 'Do you understand that this could be taken to court and that I would win?' He said 'Yes' to that as well." She repoted the alleged attack nine days later, after seeking advice from a student advice centre. Mr Emerson allegedly told police: "I know I had sex with her without consent. I know what I have done is wrong. I don't like myself."

But Judge Appleby told the jury: "You are in charge of this case and you are entitled at this stage to say whether you have heared enough and could not conceivably convict him of rape." He remided them that the girl and Mr Emerson had had oral sex without her objecting.

The alleged victim was not in court to hear the verdict.

Sorry it's a bit long, but I didn't want to be accused of prejudicial editing. Don't know about the editing at the Times mind you, but I don't have them down as that sympathetic to us "wierd folks". Still, I think they've spotted some dodgy "justice" here too. I don't think I need to say any more?

If I can find somewhere sane to live, I'm outta here.

Dan
Brighton, England

Go Back to Shy David's Sexual Assault Page.