In the midst of the Stanford case this happens in the UK and no one gives a ****

While the general public was enraged at the Stanford swimmer who got a very light sentence of 6 months for sexual offending, this case from the UK trends on the internet but no one says a word about it:
https://www.facebook.com/bedspolice/posts/10154019130611311

Why are we as a society very selective about which crimes we get angry about? I can find many more cases like this one. Surely we already know that some will end well and others will end badly. Is it because one involves a VIP and the other one does not?

I know quite a lot about crime, criminal law and law enforcement so I'm prepared for anything you've got to say (and no I'm not a law student before you ask).

Reply 1

username1732491

The Swimmer case was met with rage because he got a light sentence for sexual offences.

The case you've linked to did not get much attention as he got a heavy sentence of 20 years for sexual offences.

I don't see a problem here. Both reactions imply that internet users in general want to see sexual offences met by heavy punishment, which did not happen in the first case but did happen in the second one.

Reply 2

Joinedup

Original post by dtin

fairly low news value.

Historic offences... no celebrities involved... got sent down for a time I guess most people think is appropriate.

Reply 3

username951826

Original post by Joinedup

fairly low news value.

Historic offences... no celebrities involved... got sent down for a time I guess most people think is appropriate.

I am aware of that but people are using the Stanford case to represent all rape cases in the West and the decisions of all judges. Also, in the UK we've had a huge increase in reported incidents between 2012 and now, and after all that, is this not sending out the wrong message? On the one hand you've got the police saying 'come forward, we want to help you, we will take your report seriously' and on the other hand you've got the media saying 'don't bother, they'll only get 6 months'.

Reply 4

username951826

Original post by TimGB

People are using the Stanford case to imply that sort of thing is commonplace. We know that the majority of sexual offending is not done by 1) rich sportsmen and 2) VIPs and celebrities in general. Surely the majority of sexual offenses ie the ones committed by everyday folk are a more accurate representation of the system.

Reply 5

username1732491

Original post by dtin

People saying that sexual offences by celebrities is commonplace is not the same as saying they are the majority of sexual offences, which of course would be wrong. The point is that it is a large problem among celebrities and needs to stop, since these people are seen as role models to many. Of course, stopping celebrity offences would only be the tip of the iceberg, but it would be progress nonetheless. If people wish to expose and condemn celebrity offenders, let them do so.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 6

M14B

Original post by dtin

cannot access the link :frown:

Reply 7

Joinedup

Original post by dtin

There's certainty a belief held by some that in the USA university sportsmen are a lot rapier than the average student.

e.g. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/more-than-half-of-university-sports-players-admit-to-raping-or-sexually-assaulting-women-study-finds-a7063641.html

afaik we don't have that sort of problem with campus rapists in the UK... but we do share a common language with our cousins across the water so social media serves us up a diet of their current preoccupations (and tbh social media drives a lot of our news - cos it's cheaper and easier than getting out a looking for a story)

Reply 8

username951826

Original post by TimGB

Well then we ought to expose all the celebrities who do it and not just the sportsmen. If you look at Stanford compared to Bill Cosby then it was definitely the former who got more scrutiny. In the UK Ched Evans was treated like dirt for a crime they are now saying he might not have even committed, whereas high profile sex offenders like Rolf Harris, Dave Lee Travis, Garry Glitter, Max Clifford and of course (Jimmy Savile) were largely able to escape the same treatment.

Reply 9

username951826

Original post by Joinedup

What the hell is wrong with America? is a question I've asked many times. Now I've heard about 3 serious attacks on students, 2 of whom I believe were at the same university as me and none were done by other students, but fortunately the West Midlands Police took them on and all 3 lead to decent prison sentences (eventually). What's stopping America doing the same? I thought they had one of the toughest criminal justice systems in the World.