A British judge called a 13-year-old girl a “sexual predator” while freeing the 41-year-old man who had sex with her—causing an outcry from feminists that led to the prosecutor in the case being suspended. Neil Wilson was given a eight-month suspended sentence after admitting having sex with the young girl. Judge Nigel Peters said that the girl looked and behaved “a little bit older” and that had to be taken into account. “The girl was predatory and was egging you on,” Peters said. “There is no defense when dealing with children, but I am prepared to impose a suspension.” The prosecutor, Robert Colover, told the court “that girl is predatory in all her actions and she is sexually experienced.” The Crown Prosecution Service called Colover’s comments “inappropriate” and Colover has been suspended pending review of the case.
But before you say "Well, that couldn't happen in our legal system," remember that we have Red states...
A Louisiana parish is attempting to get out of paying a 14-year-old who was repeatedly raped by her guard at her juvenile detention center, with lawyers actually arguing last week that the girl wanted the sex.
Angelo Vickers is now serving a 7-year sentence after pleading guilty to molestation of a juvenile. Now 20-years-old, the woman is known anonymously as "Mary Doe," to protect her identity, and is now emotionally traumatized. Mary Doe sued the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government as well as her rapist, says that parish officials should have known she was at risk, and protected her from Vickers, as he was improperly supervised at the prison.
“These girls in the detention center are not Little Miss Muffin,” one official told the Tri-Parish Times.
"As part of its defense, attorneys for the parish say the court should consider what they maintain was Mary Doe’s consent to sex with the guard, and that the amount of damages, if awarded, should be adjusted accordingly.
“Vickers could not have engaged in sexual relations within the walls of the detention center with (the victim) without cooperation from her,” legal papers filed by the parish’s attorneys read. “Vickers did not use force, violence or intimidation when engaging in sexual relations.”'
It's illegal for an adult to have sex with a 14-year-old in Louisiana, as the age of consent is 17. That aside, what insane "logic" dictates that a 14-year-old who was raped by a prison guard -- who was their to keep her safe -- was somehow complicit in her own rape?!?
Katie Schwartzmann, director of the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center’s New Orleans office, expressed her concerns:
“The parish’s argument that a 14-year-old child could consent to sex with an adult in any context is disturbing,” Schwartzmann said. “In the jail or prison context, power dynamics between children and adults are even more skewed. When a child is in custody, guards have complete coercive control over every aspect of that child’s life. The argument that a child could consent to sex with an adult prison guard is, frankly, shocking.”
Just what evil deeds had this 14-year-old committed to earn herself the label of "No Miss Muffin"?
Via:
"Mary Doe, now 20 and the mother of two children, suffers from several psychiatric disorders, according to testimony from doctors and information in court papers.
The die was cast for a life of tragedy, according to facts presented in the case, from the time she was just out of toddlerhood.
According to court papers and testimony, the girl was sexually molested at the age of 5 by her swimming teacher, and at the age of 9 by a construction worker.
During that same year, her mother was killed in an auto wreck; a year later, she was raped by an uncle and those assaults continued for two years. During that time, court papers say, the uncle gave the girl alcohol, heroin, marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.
“He also tried to kill her on three different occasions, once trying to slit her throat,” the court papers read, going on to say that at the age of 11 she was raped by her step-sister’s cousin. In addition, she was largely incarcerated from the ages of 10 through 18 in seven different facilities."
Mary Doe needed help, and she needed safety when she arrived at the detention center. Instead what she got was more of the same.
Think Progress notes:
"The Terrebonne juvenile prison was exposed by a Department of Justice investigation in 2010 for arbitrarily putting children in isolation cells and leaving guards unsupervised. Several staffers were fired and even indicted for exchanging candy, fruit, time on the telephone, and other favors in return for sex with the underage inmates.
Still, prison employees all over the country often get away with rape, and few actually serve time. One Department of Justice study found that only 56 percent of staffers who were clearly caught sexually abusing inmates were referred for prosecution, while many are released on low bonds or given negligible sentences on the grounds that their victims were in prison.
More than 1,700 boys and girls reported being sexually assaulted, but the number is likely much higher given inmates’ reluctance to report rape. Prison guards usually begin their abuse by sharing personal stories and giving young inmates gifts to create a semblance of intimacy, according to another DOJ survey."
Due to overbooking, court won't reconvene until March 24, 2014. We'll have to wait until then to find out if Terrebonne Parish will take responsibility for children placed in their care. Or if it's open season for predators when it comes to those most vulnerable.
