Michael Le Vell's acquittal is no reason to give rape defendants anonymity

Submitted by Mastodon on Fri, 2013-09-27 19:09

Article here. Excerpt:

'Every time a celebrity is acquitted of rape allegations, a pernicious media campaign clamours for anonymity for defendants to stop women and children from wrecking vulnerable men's lives. Most recently, we saw this after the Michael Le Vell trial.

Women Against Rape (WAR) and Lisa Avalos began to work on collaborative research in 2012 to compare how women accused of lying are treated in the US and the UK. Despite different legal systems, the findings shine a light on the UK, with poor investigations being found to be the central obstacle to justice.

In both countries, false reports are extremely rare. The chief crown prosecutor for London, Alison Saunders, says that "studies have indicated that only 2% of all reported rapes are false, which is slightly less than false reporting in all other crimes". Their incidence is dwarfed by the prevalence of unpunished sexual violence. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in the US claims that only 3% of all rapists serve prison terms for their crimes.
...
But the prosecution of women for alleged false reports strengthens the myth that women frequently lie about being raped and discourages victims from coming forward. It diverts law enforcement away from thoroughly investigating rape and lets rapists loose on the public. It is not in the public interest, and must be stopped.'

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Comments

... in order not to discourage other ppl from reporting arson, the police shouldn't prosecute him for what he did? Even so if a mere 2% of such accusations are false? Because in the case of arson, well, I dunno, but I'll bet that might be true. Still, he ought not be held to account if he knowingly falsely accused you? Sound fair?

Re this particular story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Le_Vell#Trial

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Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2013-09-28 00:21

Rape should be treated no different from any other crime. If we prosecute people who falsely report arson, as in Matt's example, we should prosecute people who falsely report rape--even if only 2 percent do so. Those 2 percent should be prosecuted--and, in my view, receive the same punishment they hoped to inflict on the falsely accused.

Of course, I don't buy the two percent figure. Craig Silverman, a former prosecuting attorney in Denver, estimated the rate as 45 percent. A number of other studies have come up with similar figures. And getting the number right is important, as it affects the lives of men accused of rape.

Even claiming that "only 3 percent of all rapists serve prison terms" bolsters concerns over false accusations. One explanation is that the system is easy on rapists. Another is that a lot of alleged rapists are set free because they were falsely accused. I think if feminists had their way, any man accused of rape would be sent to jail for life without trial. They also think any man who thinks the accused have the right to a trial and defense is a "rape apologist."

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Submitted by el cid on Sat, 2013-09-28 02:36

2% ???

3% ???

I guess this is progress. remember the old feminist drivel that women NEVER lie about rape? the cops I know tell a far different story, as do divorce attorneys.

keep in mind that when dealing w/ feminists, their math and science skills leave a lot to be desired. even more so when it comes to the truth.

wouldn't be surprised if those percentages aren't where the percentage of successful marriages are headed.

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Submitted by daveinga on Sat, 2013-09-28 13:06