Tory MP arrested on rape charges!

[Roses]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53625829

I wonder who it is?

If guilty they should throw away the key.

[jeremyp]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53625829

I wonder who it is?

If guilty they should throw away the key.

Life must be so simple when the answer is always to incarcerate everybody for eternity.

[Roses]

Apparently this MP has not been suspended, which I think he should have been.

[Robbie]

He will if he is charged.

[Aruntraveller]

I love it when the judge, jury and executioner turn up as one. Bit like the Father, son and the holy ghost.

[Roses]

Apparently complaints were made about the man previously and not followed up properly, which they should have been.

[Robbie]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53625829

I wonder who it is?

If guilty they should throw away the key.

I don't care who it is.

We'll find out when/if the man is charged at which time he will leave or be suspended from the Commons.  To name him now would probably 'out' his alleged victim.

Apparently he is accused of four rapes by a woman with whom he was in a relationship.

[Roses]

I don't care who it is.

We'll find out when/if the man is charged at which time he will leave or be suspended from the Commons.  To name him now would probably 'out' his alleged victim.

Apparently he is accused of four rapes by a woman with whom he was in a relationship.

He should not be permitted out of his own home whilst on bail, imo.

I have experience of being sexually assaulted as a teenager by two different people, one the pastor of the penetecostal church we attended, and the other a relative by marriage, so I feel strongly about the issue which wasn't treated seriously when I reported it to my parents. My husband was sexually assaulted at the age of 6 by a man in a public toilet, his much older brother, who was waiting outside the door for him, beat the bloke up. He was also assaulted by the husband of an aunt, his father dealt with the issue. These people should have been prosecuted.

[Steve H]

Most people have one or two unpleasant encounters with dirty old men during their childhood, and in general no great harm is done. You can't frame legislation on emotional responses.

[Aruntraveller]

Most people have one or two unpleasant encounters with dirty old men during their childhood, and in general no great harm is done. You can't frame legislation on emotional responses.

I think that is a bit of a sweep there. There's an encounter with a flasher and then there is sexual assault. I'm not sure the two are comparable. There are a wide range of experiences and I don't think they fit neatly into one category.

[Nearly Sane]

Most people have one or two unpleasant encounters with dirty old men during their childhood, and in general no great harm is done. You can't frame legislation on emotional responses.

'Unpleasant encounters with dirty old men' seems to downplay sexual assault here.

[Robbie]

A great many people have been sexually assaulted 'some more than once, in their lifetimes & all take it seriously.

If this M.P. is formally charged details will be revealed. We don't have to know his identity until then. As for being on bail, doesn't a suspect have to be actually be charged with an offence for bail to be necessary? Police often arrest someone on suspicion then release without charge. If he is still a suspect they'll keep an eye on him, take his passport and tell him not to travel anywhere far.

So far there isn't any suggestion of him being a serial rapist i.e. a danger to the general public. Therefore the actions (& in-actions) seem appropriate.

I think that is a bit of a sweep there. There's an encounter with a flasher and then there is sexual assault. I'm not sure the two are comparable. There are a wide range of experiences and I don't think they fit neatly into one category.

Agreed Trent. I thought Micawber was tprobably thinking more of being groped than flashed though.

[Nearly Sane]

A great many people have been sexually assaulted 'some more than once, in their lifetimes & all take it seriously.

If this M.P. is formally charged details will be revealed. We don't have to know his identity until then. As for being on bail, doesn't a suspect have to be actually be charged with an offence for bail to be necessary? Police often arrest someone on suspicion then release without charge. If he is still a suspect they'll keep an eye on him, take his passport and tell him not to travel anywhere far.

So far there isn't any suggestion of him being a serial rapist i.e. a danger to the general public. Therefore the actions (& in-actions) seem appropriate.

Agreed Trent. I thought Micawber was tprobably thinking more of being groped than flashed though.

Agree pretty much - but there is such a thing as pre charge bail for certain offences, including rape. If he had been charged, then his identity would be almost certainly released.

[Aruntraveller]

Agreed Trent. I thought Micawber was tprobably thinking more of being groped than flashed though.

It just seemed to me that he was ignoring the individuals response.

For whatever reason some people seem more able to deal with rape and there are others who are less able to deal with being flashed at. It is the individuals response that I was thinking of.

So being groped, is to some people, as traumatic or more so, than rape is to others.

[Robbie]

Oh yes. When we look back and think "Why didn't I kick x in the balls?" & feel outraged. It's particularly frightening - horrific - for children though, made worse if they tell an adult and nothing more is said never mind done. That double betrayal must be so hard to get over.

[Steve H]

A great many people have been sexually assaulted 'some more than once, in their lifetimes & all take it seriously.

If this M.P. is formally charged details will be revealed. We don't have to know his identity until then. As for being on bail, doesn't a suspect have to be actually be charged with an offence for bail to be necessary? Police often arrest someone on suspicion then release without charge. If he is still a suspect they'll keep an eye on him, take his passport and tell him not to travel anywhere far.

So far there isn't any suggestion of him being a serial rapist i.e. a danger to the general public. Therefore the actions (& in-actions) seem appropriate.

Agreed Trent. I thought Micawber was probably thinking more of being groped than flashed though.

I was thinking specifically of an old man who befriended children when I was a pre-teen, but just wanted to talk dirty to them, and who we regarded as a bit of a joke, and a kid in his late teens on a bike who, when I was about 12 and riding my bike beside the canal, engineered a crash between us, blamed me, said I must be punished, and ordered me to pull my trousers down so he could smack me. Fortunately, we were interrupted, and he departed hurriedly. The latter was unpleasant at the time, but didn't cause any permanent harm.

[Roses]

Most people have one or two unpleasant encounters with dirty old men during their childhood, and in general no great harm is done. You can't frame legislation on emotional responses.

So it is ok to be sexually assaulted as I was is it? I wonder how many other people were harmed in that way by them as nothing was done about it?

[jeremyp]

Apparently this MP has not been suspended, which I think he should have been.

Everybody seems to be bending over backwards to keep him anonymous for now. If this is a legal requirement, he can't be suspended because that would give the game away.

[jeremyp]

Most people have one or two unpleasant encounters with dirty old men during their childhood, and in general no great harm is done. You can't frame legislation on emotional responses.

I don't see how you can avoid framing rape in terms of emotional responses. Most rapes don't involve significant physical harm in the sense of injuries but the emotional/psychological damage is often devastating.

For the record, I had no unpleasant encounters with dirty old men in my childhood. I'm not qualified to say what harm may or may not be done by them. Also, I think the amount of harm done depends to an extent on the victim. Some might shrug it off, others may be scarred for life.

[Roses]

Everybody seems to be bending over backwards to keep him anonymous for now. If this is a legal requirement, he can't be suspended because that would give the game away.

Other recent suspects have been outed immediately before being formerly charged with anything, I wonder why this guy is so special?

[Aruntraveller]

Other recent suspects have been outed immediately before being formerly charged with anything, I wonder why this guy is so special?

Maybe they are being more cautious after the Sir Cliff debacle.

[Roses]

Maybe they are being more cautious after the Sir Cliff debacle.

You could be right.

[jeremyp]

Other recent suspects have been outed immediately before being formerly charged with anything

But is that

a) legal
b) right
c) a good reason not to keep anonymity in this case, if possible?

, I wonder why this guy is so special?

MPs are especially vulnerable to having their careers destroyed by accusations of criminal conduct, even if the accusations are false. It seems ike a sensible precaution in this case.

[Robbie]

So it is ok to be sexually assaulted as I was is it? I wonder how many other people were harmed in that way by them as nothing was done about it?

He didn't say that, please read what else he wrote & what others have said.

From what has been published so far, none of that has owt to do with this MP's alleged offences . The claim seems to be from one adult person who worked for or with him & with whom he was having a relationship. Please do not come back and say" So it's ok to be raped by someone with whom you're having a relationship is it?" because I did not say that.

[Roses]

He didn't say that, please read what else he wrote & what others have said.

From what has been published so far, none of that has owt to do with this MP's alleged offences . The claim seems to be from one adult person who worked for or with him & with whom he was having a relationship. Please do not come back and say" So it's ok to be raped by someone with whom you're having a relationship is it?" because I did not say that.

I READ what Steve said, he appeared to be dismissive unwanted sexual encounters!