Not even raking leaves
What was that we were saying the other day (or maybe I was the one saying it) about how rape is basically legal in the UK? (Not that it’s much better in the US.) Tiny fraction reported; tiny fraction of those prosecuted; tiny fraction of those convicted.
Now we can add tiny fraction of those punished. It must be down to a thousandth of a rapist per annum by now.
Scottish man who R*ped a 13 year old girl smiles as he leaves court as his conviction is DROPPED due to liberal laws enacted by the Scottish government. The 22 year old man repeatedly r*ped the 13 year old girl when he was aged 17 and was originally sentenced to do ‘unpaid work’ for his crimes. In April this year, he was spared jail by Judge Lord Lake at the High Court in Glasgow and given just 270 hours of unpaid work for his punishment. He has now had his conviction overturned because he is under the age of 25. Under new court guidance in Scotland, criminals under the age of 25 are treated more leniently because of their alleged brain immaturity.
So! Young men of Scotland! Get out there and help yourselves until your 25th birthday. Enjoy!
Perhaps the girl’s brother should hasten to dispatch this smirking miscreant before he himself turns 25.
Dispatch him to Antarctica at least.
Seventeen-year-olds know right from wrong. “Brain maturity”, my ass.
Heeeey, what’s Antarctica ever done to you? Actually, there have been some articles recently about years worth of sexual harassment and assault, even rape, being ignored or glossed over by the authorities (such as they are) at McMurdo, the US base in Antarctica. Perhaps that young shithead would fit right in after all.
This is the problem I’ve had with people trumpeting the “young people’s brains aren’t fully developed until they’re 25!” factoid.
It’s infantilizing. We can’t have a society where nobody can be trusted to do anything until they’re at least 25, or whatever number neuroscientists come up with next. And we can’t have a society where we exculpate people who aren’t 25 because their poor widdle bwains aren’t fully developed, the poor dears.
Note that by the same logic, we shouldn’t allow people over a certain age to make important decisions, because their brains presumably deteriorate.
Obviously, age matters. I’m not proposing we let 11 year olds vote and drive cars and have sex with adults. But I am very very unimpressed with being told that 25 is the magic number because SCIENCE!
Well I’ve cited it (or trumpeted it if you insist) quite a few times, but I think when arguing that their views on gender identity aren’t infallible because without theory of mind how can you even etc etc etc rather than arguing they can’t be held responsible for anything at all.
Yes, science shows that our brains aren’t mature until at least 25. That doesn’t mean they are baby brains. They are still developing, but a number of studies have shown that teenage boys understand consent (even if they ignore it for their own purposes).
I don’t like the Catholic idea of age of maturity at what? 7? 9? There is still a ton of growing up to do at that point. But 7 and 9 year olds also understand the basics of right and wrong. It is wrong to steal cookies; it is even more wrong to blame it on your brother. It is wrong to hit people; it is even more wrong to hit them with sticks.
Our brains are too complex for such a simplistic mantra. Some parts of our brains will develop faster than others, and by the age of 17, we are sufficiently mature to understand yes and no and to comprehend what rape is, that it hurts others, and that it is illegal. I know I understood it at that age…but then, I was a female, and had experienced it. That might change one’s perspective just a bit.
I’m sure this young man would know right from wrong if someone were doing it to him.
I am as outraged about the original sentence as anyone, but his age is not the reason for his conviction being overturned. This explanation is from the Guardian:
“At an earlier hearing, Donald Findlay KC told the court that legal procedures used in Scotland to establish the guilt of a rapist had not been properly followed in his client’s case.
Findlay said Lord Lake had told jurors in his legal directions that the girl’s evidence could be corroborated by an account of a man who said she appeared to be “distressed” after the incident, but this was a misdirection, which resulted in Hogg’s wrongful conviction. Corroboration is a unique requirement of Scots law, by which each key fact must be supported by two independent sources of evidence.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/11/man-convicted-of-raping-13-year-old-girl-in-scotland-acquitted-on-appeal
@Mel, it appears that rape is legal in Scotland as long as nobody watches you do it.