Rehtaeh Parsons, Teen gang raped, no charges, commits suicide

[greenthumb]

In my opinion, this has nothing to do with LE's reaction to a situation. Remember how the public reacted in Casey Anthony's investigation when cops were doing EVERYTHING humanly possible to solve that awful crime? There were hotheads parked out in front of the grandparents house every day. With the Scott Peterson trial, (again, no one could accuse LE of not persuing that case with vigor) there were mobs in front of the courtroom, streams of cars driving by the house, crazy people following Scott Peterson and mobs gathered outside when he was escorted by LE between courts threatening to attack the car!

I find this VERY frightening. The power of the internet to focus frenzied angry mobs of strangers who have no connection whatsoever to a case - and they can become terribly dangerous.

Good for Mom for stepping in and asking for some civility here. In her time of grief, that's really a very gracious and selfless act.

IMO, it has to do with LE's/the justice system's handling of this case because it is only as a result of the lack of action that it has become a focus on the internet. Had there been a timely investigation and charges laid, I think this case would have remained a local news story - not an internet story - and would not have garnered the attention it has now.

Absolutely a wise and thoughtful response from Rehteah's mom.

 

[Tugela]

IMO, it has to do with LE's/the justice system's handling of this case because it is only as a result of the lack of action that it has become a focus on the internet. Had there been a timely investigation and charges laid, I think this case would have remained a local news story - not an internet story - and would not have garnered the attention it has now.

Absolutely a wise and thoughtful response from Rehteah's mom.

They can't lay charges without evidence though. That might be how it works in the US, but in Canada there is due process.

My guess is that in this case the only evidence is a picture showing a couple in some sort of intimacy, and everything else was rumour (people saying stuff, but no one who would be able to testify as an eye witness).

I assume that the girl claimed she was intoxicated and therefore it was rape. But, simply being intoxicated doesn't mean you can't consent, you have to be incapacitated (incoherently drunk or unconscious in other words). There may not be evidence of that however, in which case consent is implied.

Regarding age of consent, at 15 she is a minor. That does not mean she was too young to consent however. In Canada there are a range of ages/conditions that apply, and for a 15 year old there is a 5 year age difference exemption where consent is permitted.

In this case, the boys involved were under 18 at the time, so they fall within the exception rule, and that means that she was over the age of consent (as far as this incident is concerned).

 

[jjenny]

It's the same way in US. Prosecutors aren't supposed to lay charges without evidence.

 

[greenthumb]

IMO, LE did not exercise all their options regarding opportunities to lay charges in this case. If the investigation failed to identify sufficient evidence to lay charges of sexual assault, then it is my opinion that they should have more vigorously pursued the cyberbullying angle of the case. However, there has to be the political will to do so - and to address this increasingly common problem amongst teens. To me it appears that was not the mindset amongst the LE/prosecutors involved in this case. IMO, this case suggests that a 'boys will be boys' attitude may have prevailed, which ultimately failed this girl, this family, and this community.

To a certain degree, the decision to apply resources and time to any case comes down to personal decisions of those managing/conducting an investigation - and LE does exercise discretion as to the laying of charges, which is again a personal/departmental decision. I believe it is important to look into who made what decisions in this case, to determine if there was any reason for bias.

It will be interesting to see if, upon review, there is a determination that charges can be laid. If not, then hopefully the review highlights the shortcomings of existing legislation and leads to providing LE with the tools they need to deal with these kinds of situations. All just MOO.

http://sexualityandu.ca/uploads/files/CTRsextingEnglishApril2011.pdf

the creation and sending of nude photos of people under the age of 18 does, technically speaking, break Canada’s child laws. The child sections of the Criminal Code of Canada are intended to prevent the sexual exploitation of young people. Specifically, the Criminal Code Section 163.1 on child makes clear that the creation and distribution of images depicting sexual activity or the depiction of a sexual organ of a person under the age of 18 is a criminal offense (for the actual wording of the law, see Department of Justice, 2011).

 

[jjenny]

How can charges be possibly laid after re-investigation? If it was a she said, they said case before, now she can't say anything at all since she killed herself.
So if they couldn't lay charges before, how can they possibly do it now?

 

[matou]

http://pastebin.com/Q8VWUy7a

 

[JeannaT]

matou, that's a threat. I know you didn't write it, it sounds like it came from those guys who wear that creepy mask, but that's a threat.

I don't think it has any place on this board.

 

[matou]

Anonymous, the so-called hacktivists who recently brought to light footage of Steubenville, Ohio, teens mocking a rape victim during the high-profile trial of two football players, claimed Wednesday to have identified two of Rehtaeh's alleged attackers.

"We are currently confirming a third and it is only a matter of time before the fourth is identified as well," the group said in a statement Wednesday. "Our demands are simple: We want the N.S. RCMP to take immediate legal action against the individuals in question."

"We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims," the statement continues. "What we want is justice. And that's your job. So do it."

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/04/1...-to-review-suicide-over-alleged-rape-bullying

 

[greenthumb]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/04/1...-to-review-suicide-over-alleged-rape-bullying

"We do not approve of vigilante justice as the media claims," the statement continues. "What we want is justice. And that's your job. So do it."

BBM

Social activism. Which has a long history of making lots of folks uncomfortable. And angry. And also often brings about necessary change. All MOO.

 

[JeannaT]

Usually social activists have a name, greenthumb. Anyone so chicken they make threats like this without putting their name on them is . . . well, a coward and a bully.

Social activists sign their names, and step into the line of fire.

I am so incredibly uncomfortable with anonymous people who threaten from behind a computer monitor and a mask. Terrifying, and creepy.

And actually, blackmail.

 

[matou]

Rehtaeh Parsons to be remembered with vigils and protest

Rehtaeh’s death has angered many people in the community, including Gay MacKay, whose daughter goes to Cole Harbour High, the same school that Rehtaeh attended.

“She doesn’t want to go to school anymore,” MacKay said of her daughter. “She knows who these people are who pushed her to die.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/04/10/ns-vigils-protest-rehtaeh-parsons.html

 

[Yoda]

Dad's quote broke my heart.
‘...My daughter wasn’t bullied to death, she was disappointed to death. Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the police.
‘She was my daughter, but she was your daughter too. For the love of God do something."

This would get me too. Rape was bad, photos being posted and distributed bad, but what would kill me would be my fellow man. How can so many people, friends, friends' parents, teachers, neighbors abandon her? Who had her back? No one. Could no one in that community tell the haters to stfu?! They wouldn't have even had to take a 'side'. They could have been there to help deflect the sh** thrown her way. People su*k. Jmo


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-reveals-daughter-trolled-hanged-herself.html

 

[CanManEh]

The Huffington Post has a really good article on this sad story... Lot's of pics and video and more Info on the Annonymous group or whatever they are...

 

[Yoda]

. Written by dad. You'll tear up
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/glen-canning/rehtaeh-parsons-was-my-daughter_b_3056888.html

 

[JeannaT]

And now, their names are public. A couple of them have removed their web presence, and a couple of them are still out there.

This is not what it might seem when posted by Anonymous. As with Steubenville, there are those with more and less guilt, and culpability and history becomes fuzzy.

Unless we are willing to return to a culture where women were considered to be totally and completely helpless, and not in any way responsible for their own selves, and shouldn't be allowed to go out in public unchaperoned, I think we need to see this in the shades of gray that it is. It's time to stop shaming girls who consent to sexuality, and it's time to stop charging boys with crimes who respond. Girls have a right to consent without being shamed, and boys have a right to respond without being jailed. Girls aren't saints, and boys aren't devils. Human sexuality, and ability to consent, should be equal without trying to act like girls are not capable of consenting because they're too silly. When girls and boys drink underage, no one questions that boys are too drunk to consent. It's time to level the playing field, and recognize that girls are at least as capable and smart as boys are. Stop shaming the girls, and stop charging the boys with crimes.

 

[JeannaT]

. Written by dad. You'll tear up
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/glen-canning/rehtaeh-parsons-was-my-daughter_b_3056888.html

Thanks. I posted that blog yesterday in the last page. Heartwrenching.

 

[Yoda]

And now, their names are public. A couple of them have removed their web presence, and a couple of them are still out there.

This is not what it might seem when posted by Anonymous. As with Steubenville, there are those with more and less guilt, and culpability and history becomes fuzzy.

Unless we are willing to return to a culture where women were considered to be totally and completely helpless, and not in any way responsible for their own selves, and shouldn't be allowed to go out in public unchaperoned, I think we need to see this in the shades of gray that it is. It's time to stop shaming girls who consent to sexuality, and it's time to stop charging boys with crimes who respond. Girls have a right to consent without being shamed, and boys have a right to respond without being jailed. Girls aren't saints, and boys aren't devils. Human sexuality, and ability to consent, should be equal without trying to act like girls are not capable of consenting. Girls aren't silly juveniles.

I haven't seen their names but I'm only reading MSM.
Jmo
This is a new generation. Things could be swept under the rug ten years ago. Information we received was at the whim of the journalists. It's 2013. There is no rug. As a matter of fact, now there aren't any floors, walls or ceilings. Even if LE thought it was consensual they needed to investigate the accusation completely. It is the responsibility of ALL authority figures: LE, school admin., coaches, to immediately investigate assault claims. They are doing both the alleged victim and the accused a disservice if they don't.
Jmo. From what I've read, I don't think this was a case of day after drunk sex regret. Inebriated, vomiting semi-conscious juvenile.

If they wanted to have sex with her then why did they wait until she was drunk? Why not when she was sober at the beginning of the evening? Because she would have said no? Bingo.

 

[CanManEh]

The Huffington Post has a really good article on this sad story... Lot's of pics and video and more Info on the Annonymous group or whatever they are...

SORRY for quoting my own post from just an hour or too ago and letting you know about the additinal information you could find over at the other site called The hiffington post .Glad to see some of you took my advice and went to check it out...I would like to find out alot more about this annonymus poster or group of people who knows which it is but i would like to know more about these people apparentlly they did this too years ago on 2 foot ball players not sure where it happend anyway hope that site and info helped you out.....

 

[JeannaT]

SORRY for quoting my own post from just an hour or too ago and letting you know about the additinal information you could find over at the other site called The hiffington post .Glad to see some of you took my advice and went to check it out...I would like to find out alot more about this annonymus poster or group of people who knows which it is but i would like to know more about these people apparentlly they did this too years ago on 2 foot ball players not sure where it happend anyway hope that site and info helped you out.....

It was the Steubenville case that made national headlines like a month ago. Google Steubenville and you'll see the same masks.

 

[JeannaT]

I haven't seen their names but I'm only reading MSM.
Jmo
This is a new generation. Things could be swept under the rug ten years ago. Information we received was at the whim of the journalists. It's 2013. There is no rug. As a matter of fact, now there aren't any floors, walls or ceilings. Even if LE thought it was consensual they needed to investigate the accusation completely. It is the responsibility of ALL authority figures: LE, school admin., coaches, to immediately investigate assault claims. They are doing both the alleged victim and the accused a disservice if they don't.
Jmo. From what I've read, I don't think this was a case of day after drunk sex regret. Inebriated, vomiting semi-conscious juvenile.

If they wanted to have sex with her then why did they wait until she was drunk? Why not when she was sober at the beginning of the evening? Because she would have said no? Bingo.

I don't know this girl or these boys. I don't know what she would have done sober but yes, I'll agree that it's very unlikely a sober girl would consent to sex with 4 boys in one evening. So, yes, it's the behavior of a drunk girl and not something she would have done without drinking, I would totally agree.

I wonder though - I've been to casinos, and I've been to Charity Gala auctions. In those venues, women who are turning loose of their purses and buying LOTS of stuff (or gambling) foolishly are given more alcohol. Everyone in the room knows they would not be giving away their money this way sober - and in fact, these businesses are designed to encourage that behavior. Get them drunker so they'll give away even more than they ever would sober.

If they're on a couch asleep, it's a crime to take their money. If they're handing it over even when it's very obvious they're intoxicated, it's fine and fair game.

Not very nice behavior but totally accepted by society.

I guess I don't fully understand why this idea that you should make sure the person isn't drunk and making a decision they wouldn't normally make pertains to sex and not to other things when alcohol and bad decisions are concerned.

And I mean that very sincerely. If a girl is unconscious, it's rape obviously. If a girl is drunk and behaving in a promiscuous way, I don't see it as that black and white. And I know others on the board do.

So, how do you feel about casinos or Charity Gala auctions that purposely combine alcohol and encouraging foolishly impulsively spending money?

Again, I don't know this girl, I haven't seen the photo that was passed around, and I don't know if she was awake and appearing to consent. I'm talking in very big generalities.