Do we give a pass,to famous child molesters?

[BenF]

In the UK, celebrities are dealt with in the same way as anybody else.

It appears to work differently in the US.

Gary Glitter has recently been released from a Vietnamese prison, when he returned to the UK, he was vilified and put on the sex-offenders register.

In the US, when a man gets released from a Vietnamese prison, you make him a Presidential candidate.

 

[Kulindahr]

The real trouble is that we also give a pass to police and D.A.s who make arrests based on unsubstantiated word and prosecute, with the result that according to an unpublished study by a major newspaper, in one state in the U.S. one in four convictions for sex crimes have no basis at all in fact. One in five such "crimes" involve no second person, and nearly two in five are between bf & gf whose ages recently changed in a way that makes what they've been doing all along suddenly illegal.

It's like the Salem witch trials in old Massachusetts -- all a kid has to do is make the accusation, and a life is ruined.

 

[BenF]

Hmm... so that's why Ben is so obsessively distrustful and manichaean about Reality and The Internet.

And never the twain shall meet.

I'm still waiting for the letter from his solicitor.

 

[belamy]

And never the twain shall meet.

(...)

You mean like ""Reality"" and "Reality".

 

[BenF]

Can I raise you a Woody Allen?

 

[BenF]

Don't forget Roman Polanski - he got away with it thanks to the US Judge going all gooey eyed with a celebrity.

 

[Kulindahr]

Don't forget Roman Polanski - he got away with it thanks to the US Judge going all gooey eyed with a celebrity.

Some judges make a good argument that the Second Amendment isn't emphatic enough.

 

[belamy]

After reading the last posts I think it would be good to discuss about the real reach and meanig of consent.
If you fall in love with your former wife's 13 yo adopted daughter, or your neighbor or whatever and she/he is in love with you, all that in Spain in which the age of "consent" is 13, are you a child molester? We assume a 13 yo may not be fully aware of what that "consent" implies, but in the purity rings era I doubt many people above 18 have a clear idea of what sexuality means... On the other hand, if a 13 yo says "he touched me but I didn't care", does that equal "consent", and even if he or she doesn't seem to be traumatized about the experience should we assume there IS?
I have heard girls say that when they were fondled when they were kids they didn't care much, until they became adults and developed a deep sense of shame and disgust. So was the trauma there from the beginning, in seed, like a silent virus, or it developed afterwards from scratch?

Personally, like with any other issue involving peoples' minds, I think that people usually adhere to what is more comfortable to their beliefs and intentions, so a pederast is willing to use the argument that a young teen has no sexual prejudices to support his predating instinct and needs.

Roman Polanski, as far as I can remember, had rape charges on him, which seems to me to go even farther than "molestation".

 

[levenshulme31]

Isn't Roman Polanski still banned from the US under threat of arrest/prison?

As for Woody Allen, Wasn't Soon Yi 17 when they started their relationship, and she was Diane Keaton's (adopted) daughter, not Woody's. And they are still together. Slightly unorthodox origins for a relationship but hardly Gary Glitter territory.

 

[belamy]

Also, imagine a 13 or a 17 yo states she or he was willing (although not pleased) to prostitute himself/herself to support her/his family like adult prostitutes do. Then should that Gary Glitter not be charged with "child molestation" but "mere" lewdness? If we accept someone's testimony of having committed a crime (something which I always found stupid and incoherent, since justice must rely on facts, proofs and laws, not rule according to testimonies) then, for coherence's sake we should be forced to accept that testimony as an acquittal.

Minors in justice are a very fucked up issue. We have had very famous cases in Spain of 15-17 yo who tortured, raped, killed and further profaned the body of a teen girl, but since they were minors they have a second chance not to have their lives "distroyed".

One way or another, we never seem to be able to cope fairly with minors and crime, whether they be victims or criminals. It all ultimately depends on our own taboos, morals, prejudices... and perversions.

 

[Sbaraglia]

Scott Bairstow is once again a working actor, after serving a minimal jail sentence...

From Wikipedia:

In May 2003, Bairstow was charged in Everett, Washington with second degree child rape for allegedly having had sex with a 12-year-old girl, who is related to Bairstow's ex-wife, and later asking her to keep quiet about it. In December 2003, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge -- second degree assault. Bairstow entered an Alford plea, under which he maintained his innocence but conceded that he would likely be convicted by a jury if the case went to trial. He was sentenced to four months in jail, one year community supervision, and was required to undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation. He was also ordered to have no contact with the girl for 10 years and to pay for any counseling she requires.

And from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/124972_bairstow04.html -

The following conversation was recorded by police last month after the girl told her family about the alleged sexual abuse, according to charging documents filed by prosecutors:

Bairstow: OK. Um, I mean, ho, how are you feeling, are ya, are, are you mad?

Girl: Um. I don't know. I think it's affected me in a lot of ways, but ...

Bairstow: It has?

Girl: Yeah. I don't know. I don't really know what to feel, ya know?

Bairstow: Have you told anyone?

Girl: No, but I'm thinking maybe I should.

Bairstow: K, um, why are you thinking that?

Girl: I don't know. I just, I don't know. You don't think I should tell anyone?

Bairstow: Well ... I'm like a dad, and I've got a job, and if you were to tell anyone, I would be thrown in jail for 10 years.

Girl: Are you serious?

Bairstow: Yeah, yeah, I'm not kidding around ... it would destroy my life.

 

[Willie Boy]

Elvis was a child molester? Where was I when that happened?

I was gonna ask that myself, but saw a later response. The question is did he have sex with her before she turned 18? If they waited, then it wasn't molestation. If they didn't wait, he should have been dealt with.

 

[belamy]

Common sense tells me a 24 year old man didn't wait 4 years,to have sex with his girlfriend.But maybe I'm wrong.

Common sense couldn't make you believe there are "purity rings" and parties of virginity allegiance to the male family head.
You maybe meant "your share of common experience" or something like that

 

[Willie Boy]

Common sense tells me a 24 year old man didn't wait 4 years,to have sex with his girlfriend.But maybe I'm wrong.

Author Suzane Finstad writes in her book "Child Bride" that they had sex on the second date(according to family and friends close to Elvis)but one will never know,for sure.

If it was true love, he could easily have waited. But other than the rumors, you're right we may never know, just like how many licks it takes to get to the bubble gum center of a tootsie pop!

 

[mike_n_herrin]

in answer to the question, i think "we" give rich famous people a break on everything.

Can I raise you a Woody Allen?

it was a very weird situation; however, i believe soon-yi previn was 22 at the time. don't know how long it was going on and she was never his daughter.

but...he would have been around her since she was like 10 and so that's where it's just weird and in my opinion sick.