Y869 SRA
Member
Registered: 22nd Jul 12
User status: Offline
|
A prominent barrister specialising in reproductive rights has called for the age of consent to be lowered to 13.
Barbara Hewson said in an interview that the move was necessary in the wake of the Savile scandal to end the "persecution of old men".
She also said that complainants should no longer receive anonymity.
The NSPCC called her views "outdated and simply ill-informed" and said to hear them "from a highly experienced barrister simply beggars belief".
Her remarks come after a number of high-profile arrests from Operation Yewtree, the police investigation into historic sexual abuse following the Savile scandal.
The arrests have included Max Clifford, Stuart Hall and Gary Glitter among others.
Ms Hewson described Stuart Hall's crimes as "low-level misdemeanours" which "ordinarily... would not be prosecuted".
Mr Hall admitted 14 charges of indecently assaulting girls, including one aged nine, between 1967 and 1985.
"What we have here is the manipulation of the British criminal justice system to produce scapegoats on demand. It is a grotesque spectacle.
"It's time to end this prurient charade, which has nothing to do with justice or the public interest."
She argues for an end to complainant anonymity, a strict statute of limitations to prevent prosecutions after a substantial amount of time has passed and a reduction in the age of consent to 13.
She said that "touching a 17-year-old's breast, kissing a 13-year-old, or putting one's hand up a 16-year-old's skirt" are not crimes comparable to gang rapes and murders and "anyone suggesting otherwise has lost touch with reality".
The NSPCC described crimes such as Stuart Hall's as "incredibly serious" and said that "to minimise and trivialise the impact of these offences for victims in this way is all but denying that they have in fact suffered abuse at all.
"Any suggestion of lowering the age of consent could put more young people at risk from those who prey on vulnerable young people."
They also argued to maintain complainant anonymity and allow for historic prosecutions as "many who are abused are bullied, blackmailed and shamed into staying silent, often well into adulthood."
Discuss...
[Edited on 11-05-2013 by V931_FEF]
|
_Allan_
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 04
User status: Offline
|
Bet she drives a Puma.
|
Nath
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by _Allan_
Bet she drives a Puma.
Na, more like a Mini.
|
SVM 286
Member
Registered: 13th Feb 05
Location: pain
User status: Offline
|
This woman can't possibly be an ACTUAL woman.
Gotta be some deviant child rapist in a dress, putting on a silly voice. 
|
Hammer
Member
Registered: 11th Feb 04
User status: Offline
|
Seen this a few days ago, I could (with ease) pick out the deviants that would agree with her on here.
|
Y869 SRA
Member
Registered: 22nd Jul 12
User status: Offline
|
Legal or not, I wouldn't be fucking no 13 year old. I'm reluctant to fuck a 19 year old! (I'm almost 31 btw).
|
Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
|
It's already 13 in Spain.
Too many overhyped media born opinions about ages and children. There are children then there are young fully developed women. The latter being perfectly plausible at ages below 16.
Nature determines when someone has developed to be suitable for reproducing, not some number invented by humans measured by a fictional scale also invented by humans.
[Edited on 11-05-2013 by Steve]
|
Aaron
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 04
Location: Cottingham, East Riding
User status: Offline
|
popcorn.gif
|
Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
I agree to a point steve, but the limit is there because not a lot of young girls of that age are mature enough to understand the consequences.
I understand even 16 year old girls can be immature and all that, but at least they have a better idea.
do you argue the same point about the drinking age? Working age? Driving age? Or is it just shagging young females you get so wound up about?
|
Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
|
I'm not wound up m8
|
Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
You're always in threads like this 
|
Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
|
It's because I'm a pedo/child fucker etc
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
In today's society its nothing to do with the body being mature enough. All of the paws are based on being able to make an informed decision, which 99.99% of 13 year old children can't.
I half agree with Steve because I know that the 16 thing is a bit random and not too long ago much younger wouldn't have been an issue at all. Society has changed though and having as many babies as possible as early as possible because the mother and most of the babies would die, isn't an issue now.
Under 16 with an over 16, especially a dirty old man is unarguably just wrong in the 21st century.
Laws and not paws obviously, there are other laws for animals.
[Edited on 11-05-2013 by John]
|
Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
I agree in terms if sex, women grow up quicker etc these days and SOME are more "ready" than others (although 13 seems v excessive) but a 13 year old isn't a responsible parent imo
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
Its nothing to do with being a responsible parent.
|
Shell
Premium Member
Registered: 14th Oct 08
User status: Offline
|
Physically they may be fully developed young women by 16. Mentally no. Fucking moron of a woman. No complaint anonymity and putting a cap on how long after you can be charged?! It can take a long time for people to even come to terms with what happened to them, let alone contemplate taking action. Who gives a toss if they're old men by the time it comes to light.
|
Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
|
The issue here shouldn't really be age, some of them were above the age of consent at the time I believe. it's that they were touched/molested/raped against their will. The fact a lot of them were young to me just means these predators were picking easy targets who they believed would be too scared to stop them or speak out about it.
|
Nath
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Hammer
Seen this a few days ago, I could (with ease) pick out the deviants that would agree with her on here.
Reply.
|
Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
Why does it have nothing to do with being a parent?
If kids can have sex younger then peer pressure will
Mean more and more are? More that happens, the more pregnancies
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
Its to do with mainly men taking advantage of young girl and to a lesser extent whether it should really be criminal for 2 under agers to be criminals because of it.
Being a good parent is a long way after that. The age of consent isn't because you become a good parent at 16.
|
Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
I didn't say good parent I said responsible. I wasn't responsible at 16 but at 13
I couldn't even make my own dinner. I didn't read the whole article I am
Guilty of that, however this is another implication of lower sex ages, like it or not
|
WukaChop
Member
Registered: 9th Apr 13
Location: Birmingham
User status: Offline
|
That wouldn't do anything except make the 13 year olds more vulnerable - She quite obviously has an IQ in negative numbers and/or no sense of reality.
|
Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
|
I didn't know Steve's old Queen was a barrister 
|
Ste
Premium Member
Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
User status: Offline
|
Not to be pedantic or anything. But pedophilia is the obsession with pre-pubescent children.
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
|
Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
|
Exactly, noone is saying that preying on a pre-developed child is wrong, clearly something mentally wrong with men who are into that.
But being attracted to a mature looking developed 15 year old girl is natural, and the weird fact is, if an image was posted of such a girl in a provocative pose on the internet with her age printed by the side, I will bet my car that all the blokes to themselves would get a boner, but pretend on the internet that the thought makes them sick. Strange behaviour imo
That applies to old men too, you dont suddenly stop being naturally attracted to all the things we are meant to be attracted too just because we've got older. Natural selection is what is meant to be the defining power that stops men that are too old ending up with girls that are half their age, the female by default looks for the best mate, and ageing old bloke doesnt offer that, so naturally the two wouldn't get together. That doesn't stop the male having the default feeling though, and he shouldnt be chastised for feeling something given to him by nature, by a bunch of people that ironically secretly feel the same things, just because someone one day decided 16 was a significant number and everything below that suddenly becomes sick.
[Edited on 12-05-2013 by Steve]
|
