you get so emotional baby.
July 23, 2007
Last year I wrote a post about how disgusted I was by the rape and subsequent posting of that FILMED ASSAULT of that young girl on YouTube and then the selling of that DVD to the local High Schools.
For those of you who didn’t click on the link above let me outline this for you.
A young girl, with developmental delay was lured into a clearing by a group of boys where she was filmed being penetrated, urinated upon, SET ALIGHT, spat at and laughed at (ie: tortured).
The movie given a title Cunt: The Movie was then distributed and sold by those boys to students in local high schools for around $5 in the community where that girl lived.
That film was then posted on YouTube where it was viewed thousands of times.
This didn’t happen in Iraq or Afghanistan by the way, it happened in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The boys were apprehended, after a search – some even dobbed in by their parents. The boys pleaded guilty.
Well, this week the verdict is in.
What do you think they deserve? They pleaded guilty. They are guilty. They are disgusting.
Hm?
Nothing. They get off. Well the ones who have already faced court have anyway.
Oh right, yes they need to attend a course which deals with how to treat women with respect but apart from that little is done by way of punishment. I’m sure handing them a shiny present like escaping punishment will really teach them a lesson.
I’m just at a loss for any real way to convey how horrified I am by the light hand being dealt these boys. PARIS HILTON WENT TO JAIL FOR DRIVING WHILE HIGH, these boys RAPED A GIRL, FILMED HER TORTURE and then SOLD IT. They PLEADED GUILTY and they are let off.
Should they be rotting in jail? Yes.
But why aren’t they?
How can guilty men NOT be convicted justly in a court of law? A court of law which is set up supposedly to protect men as well as women. Not just men.
And I have to ask the real question – how can women EVER trust in our system of law (and law enforcement) to keep us safe from crimes such as rape and aggravated assault when it’s evident that even the guilty don’t get a conviction?
Already we are too scared to report these crimes in the first place. Statistics show that the number of rapes that are reported only indicate a VERY SMALL fraction of those rapes that actually DO OCCUR. Furthermore even when the crime is reported not many convictions seem to happen or if they do, they aren’t ever long enough or harsh enough. After they get out, many rape again, and again. Indeed according to recent article in The Age
Why is this happening?
Do women matter so little in this world that crimes committed TOWARDS us (as yes, I am personally affronted by this, and you should be too) are swept so carelessly under the carpet? This is something we need to address.
Is the case for women so hopeless that we’ve stopped fighting? No one says anything – are we scared or scarred? Furthermore, why aren’t our fathers, brothers, husbands and people who love us, publicly up in arms about it? Why is it that of the few voices that speak out – almost all of them are those of women? Sorry to be overly cynical but if we’re not being heard in the court room then certainly we’re not being heard in the public arena. Obviously these are not just a women’s issues anyway. These are issues that people should TALK about, both men and women – but sadly no one ever wants to.
This shit has gone on long enough – this is not a girl being overly emotional and hysterical here. We are being wronged.
July 23, 2007 at 1:34 pm
That is beyond ridiculous, I thought Matthew Newton made me angry, this has just left me speechless. I honestly do not know what to write in response to this.
July 23, 2007 at 1:58 pm
I remember being horrified by it too. It’s amazing how people can perpetrate such vile acts while living in what should be one of the best cities in the world.
To think they got off, is fucking disgraceful and embarrassing.
July 23, 2007 at 3:08 pm
That is unbelievable.
What was the grounds for them being let off?
July 23, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I can’t believe that they got off…especially since the whole thing was on tape. How they could get off without a sentence is just wrong. Oi…do they have lynch mobs in Australia? If not, they should start now.
These kinds of things seriously piss me off. So much, that I can’t publicly admit what I would do if I ever crossed paths with someone who did something like this.
I should stop typing before I incriminate myself for vigilantism.
July 23, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Unbelieveable! Is there a chance to appeal the ’sentence’?
July 23, 2007 at 11:49 pm
I’ve been reading a variety of articles and individual viewpoints since reading Mez’s post, and it seems there is a lot of support for the guys involved, and some speculation as to the girl agreeing to be in the “movie” and consenting to some of the acts involved, and still actually wanting to be friends with the assholes afterwards.
Apparently she just wanted them to like her, and as sad as it is, I actually know of a few similar cases in my own personal experience where a “slightly slow” girl has been willing to perform sexual acts and be the butt of pranks and jokes, just so the cool guys will like her. In my day there was no such thing as camera phones or kids having video cameras, so none of it was filmed, but I have no doubt whatsoever that if that technology was available, it would have been. She never had her hair set alight or was urinated on, but she was teased, picked on, and ultimately had sex with at least 4 of the guys who did the teasing, in the hope that they would like her more.
I found it reprehensible at the time, but she didn’t think they were doing anything wrong, and didn’t want to report them, and none of us knew their names or other identifying details. It probably honestly never occurred to the guys involved that she was not capable of consenting to the acts involved as she didn’t understand any of the consequences of the acts, all they knew was that she said yes, so it was okay.
I don’t know if this was the case with this movie, I don’t know if the girl did or did not “consent” or if the boys should have been aware that she was or wasn’t aware of what she was consenting to. The girl was originally described as retarded, then it was changed to “developmentally delayed” so I don’t know the truth of the matter.
I still do not think they should have gotten off, and I hope that some of them at least get the punishment they so justly deserve, but I guess I am just trying to say the whole thing isn’t as cut and dried as it appears at first glance… don’t know if I am saying it well though.
July 23, 2007 at 11:56 pm
That is shocking.
Surely the parents of the girl this happened to will appeal???
July 24, 2007 at 12:47 am
life – it’s bloody typical. There are always “exceptions” when it comes to stuff like this.
sd – it’s soo disgraceful.
ant – From the articles I’ve read. The courts were “impressed” that the boys pleaded guilty because apparently that shows remorse. Right.
michael – With things like this there is always a sense of ‘but don’t ruin their bright, bright futures by tainting them with the stigma of a “rape charge”. Nevermind the fact that they did it.
helena – no idea. I don’t think they’ve all been convicted yet. The newspapers are being disturbingly hush hush about it. I haven’t seen much since the initial articles I read.
life – It’s like a kid consenting though isn’t it? If this was a child who said “yep” then everyone would be up in arms. In fact the girl wasn’t an adult at all, she WAS a child as well as being “developmentally delayed”. It’s not consent and I reckon the boys ‘didn’t understand’ thing is something an overpaid defense lawyer is going to put out in court to get them off. They set her alight, urinated on her and called the movie “cunt” – there’s no mistake that it was violent and intended to hurt her.
I remember the “retarded” to “delay” change too and this is the whole point of the matter – shit like this happens all the time in cases like this. It not unique that people are let off rape charges.
I don’t think *anything* is really cut and dry
girlabout – Like most of these kinds of cases. I bet they don’t want to put the girl through the trauma of being “investigated”.
July 24, 2007 at 2:00 am
Yes.
I have no words to adequately convey how I feel about this issue.
July 24, 2007 at 4:41 am
It’s almost like they’ve said “well lets forget about it, it’s last years news”! It is really shocking and I couldn’t believe when I read they’ve been let off.
July 24, 2007 at 10:47 am
meg – I know what you mean.
linda – exactly. It’s like, who cares. It’s just some chick who no one cares about!
July 24, 2007 at 11:58 am
Well, if everyone is concerned about the boys’ futures, then I would offer this in lieu of a rape conviction:
They can choose to be repeatedly buggered with broom handles, urinated on and set on fire. A dvd of all this will be distributed around their neighborhood and posted on youtube.
Anyone who thinks that is too harsh should remember that they agreed to it.
July 24, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Sickening.
July 24, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I don’t even have words for this, and feel in a way ashamed myself — you’re right, people are being let off rape charges every day, and I know that I’m not trying to do anything about it. I should be writing to my MP or lobbying for stricter sentencing or adequate representation for victims, but so far nothing. I think I lack your courage to try.
The question of punishment is a difficult one, though. What exactly ever would be a suitable punishment for them? Death? Castration? Life in prison? Maybe I’m too liberal or incapable of understanding or whatever, but I don’t see any of those options making things better. Even if the boys served 50 years hard labour and were brutalised themselves in prison, would that be justice, would it redress the balance? I don’t know. I think prison would only make them worse.
You’ll probably hate me for saying it, but I think what’s needed is for more understanding — so they recognise what they did and why it was wrong and regret it, and perhaps work some way to help mend other lives that have been ruined by people like them. And education to stop it happening to anyone else.
And people like me need to stop being outraged for a few days, a week, then just forgetting and going back to their lives — unable to conceive of what they should do, because it’s overwhelming…
July 24, 2007 at 7:10 pm
‘but don’t ruin their bright, bright futures by tainting them with the stigma of a “rape charge”.
Society needs to get on the ball and realize that people like these don’t deserve “bright, bright futures”. I did some reading on this issue and saw that the father is still planning to pursue legal action.
However, I just looked up Australian legislation on double jeopardy and it looks somewhat promising as it seems that the sentencing can be appealed.
Those kids need to be put away…
July 24, 2007 at 8:17 pm
That’s disgusting. I would love to say that it’s just an Aussie problem but that’s even more likely to happen in the USA, or even here in little ol’ Canada.
They’ll get what’s coming to them, one day though. Small comfort but I believe it…
July 24, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I’m not sure how it works but did a judge hand down that decision or was it from a jury?
If it was a judge he should lose his job and the rapists brought up on new charges.
Disgusting.
July 24, 2007 at 10:00 pm
That is absolutely disgusting. This the first time i heard of this story and it horrifies me to hear these fukers get nothing.
July 25, 2007 at 12:45 am
It makes me bloody sick that this happened in my own backyard. Just as you say, it did not happen in a war torn country, it happened here.
These boys need to be kicked up the arse and then some. The second any of my kids ever pick on anyone else they will get words from me and their dad. Fortunately they are respectful of everyone we know and people they meet anew. THIS is the way it ought to be.
Also, I am sick of parents not taking responsibility for their kids. It begins when they are born..not when they are teens. Values and common sence will prevail if taught to the kids from wrod go.
I don’t have to tell you, as you are a teacher. The phrase, “My kid would never do that”. I hear it uttered, and following that is always an excuse. Why don’t these parents just say “Look, little Johnny, did you do it? If you lie, liars go to jail and that is it”
That’s my phrase, “Liars go to jail”, “drugs kill” and good is rewarded…amen.
July 25, 2007 at 6:39 am
bug – this brings up and excellent point about whether consent actually means the words YES, or whether saying yes is only part of it. I think the later.
dq – yes, quite!
jay – I actually do understand where you’re coming from with that. Yes, we need to break the cycle of this kind of thing happening – but I think the culture we live in is “boys will be boys”. While I am not in the very least suggesting that anyone is actually condoning rape, but we do condone bad behaviour from boys because they’re boys. Meanwhile the problem is that it escalates. We have to think. Ultimately for rape to happen in this society (and yes I’m assuming that rape is mostly men raping women because YES apart from that 1 per cent or whatever – actually that’s EXACTLY what the stats suggest. So ultimately for rape to happen BUT for men to get away with it OFTEN then I have to ask..
Why do men not respect women in the first place?
And whatever that answer it – THAT needs to change.
Having said that – yes I do think they need to be punished and I think we’re WAY too soft on rapists. They need REAL CONSEQUENCES.
michael – it actually sickens me that we have that attitude of ‘well we don’t want to ruin their lives’. But it’s okay for a girl’s life to be totally ruined.
lusty – I hope so. I really do.
hammer – I actually don’t know. The article I read didn’t specify. I agree – a crap decision.
neily – TELL me about it!
cazzie – I know what you mean. As a teacher I see it all that time – parents absolving their child of responsibilty. While there are some cases where I fully agree that parents should get in their and fight for their children (and it’s good to see) sometimes the fight sends a message to the child that they can get away with anything (and you know what? They DO).
July 25, 2007 at 10:58 am
I’m glad you didn’t yell at me. I think we’re on the same page with society and breaking the cycle — and I absolutely agree we shouldn’t condone bad behaviour. The trouble I have with punishment is often what is appropriate and does it change… But am always open to suggestions.
July 25, 2007 at 11:15 am
I’m quite shocked by the stats. Quite shameful.
July 25, 2007 at 11:34 am
jay – I think where humans are a physical danger to other humans – where the violence is not necessarily provoked (rape/child molestation/serial killing/premeditated murder etc) there should be a jail term. They should be removed from society. Other crimes…I don’t know, it depends on the crime and whether they are a danger..
chai – I know! horrible stuff