KevinArnottsGoldenBoot, on 25 July 2016 - 07:19 PM, said:
As if she's suffered more than Evans!?
As proved by this board; many people choose to still throw slurs and call him a rapist even though his conviction has been ruled unsafe/overturned. Without being bothered to observe the outcome of his retrial. A retrial HE has pursued in his determination to prove himself innocent.
To suggest that a woman who's changed her name and gone abroad has suffered to the extent that Evans has is beyond insane. Half the country know who he is. He plys his trade in front of thousands weekly, who did, and will continue to abuse him throughout his career. Guilty or not. He has served time in prison... etc etc.
And lets not pretend there is no precedent for people crying rape, and act as though the female of the species is incapable of telling porkies. All well and good to be gentlemanly, and no question Evans ( like many, many others) is/was a sleazebag. But personally, I don't want to live in a country where the Government or the mob dole out sentences for things they find immoral. We have the law for that, and it shouldn't be used wrongly to make a point.
Matter of perspective in regard to suffering. Yes, Evans did 3yrs and has the mark forever. Even if he's deemed as innocent at trial he'll carry it. That's unfortunate but it's the way society works- they remember the short and negative (it's what the press thrive on). But he will be able to rebuild. He can, as he's showing, go back to his chosen career, get married, go out where he wants and see who he wants. The girl hasn't just changed her name, she's changed it multiple times under police assistance because supporters of Evans (cousins of his have been convicted for it) keep going for her. She doesn't have the option to see who she wants, I believe only her father knows where she is. She has, due to the persecution and fear of others, been denied what I would argue is the right to a normal life. It's dependent on what you feel is more restrictive. I will note that if he is found guilty then he will suffer from the conviction for the rest of his life, as I believe is right.
The first line of your third paragraph is one of the worst things I've read in the discussions on Evans, and it's an example of why I wrote my original post. People lie, that's fact, gender doesn't matter. There's an equally strong possibility Evans is lying, his evidence wasn't strong enough in the first case so it's not unreasonable to assume he's told a fair few in this case. No, it's not illegal to be a sleazebag and I agree it shouldn't be. However, there is a line between being a sleazebag and committing a criminal offence. I partially disagree with your statement about not punishing people for immoral acts as that's the entire basis of criminal law, but agree that general opinion shouldn't decide the sentence in cases. However, you assume that Evans is innocent. There is a chance he will be found guilty and it won't be because of public opinion, it'll be because under the current laws he committed a crime. You have the right to disagree with the current laws as much as someone else has the right to support them.
Not trying to attack you, but curious; if he is found guilty again will you agree with the courts decision?
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