At the time of writing there has been over 70,000 tweets using the Hashtag #IBelieveHer, with most of these expressing total outrage at the verdict in the alleged rape case against the rugby players in Belfast.
Being honest, I wasn’t surprised at all with the unanimous verdict by the jury as there seemed to me, to be lots of grey areas and inconsistencies throughout the case and in a scenario that must operate in the realm of “beyond reasonable doubt” .
I read the summation by the Judge as she passed the case over to the Jurors and she outlined the issues very carefully, including strong guidance about the inconsistencies in the evidence presented.
As I said, I wasn’t surprised at the unanimous verdict by the jury – rape could not be proved, beyond reasonable doubt..no doubt about it.
The court process, in arriving at that moment, is brutal with skilled, intelligent barristers going hell for leather at the respective sides in the case, fighting the corner for their clients – for anyone that has ever been involved in a court case (of any sort), it is not for the fainthearted, and even if you believe you are 100% right in a seemingly clearcut case it is never an easy process.
“Proving” anything, as is the requirement to win your case is really tough, and without conclusive evidence that a clever barrister can’t pull down you will rarely get a result that you want.
In a rape situation, in particular in a case like this one where there was lots of pre-engagement between the different parties in a “party” type environment, it would be very difficult to prove unless there were ironclad witnesses.
I am very concerned that most of the “outrage” that I am witnessing on social media and in conversations that I am listening to are down to the fact that there was a verdict of “Not Guilty”.
I know I will get my head sliced right off by at least 70,000 tweeters but I will say it anyway…if we can’t prove that these men are guilty then this verdict cannot be given against them – while the process is horrible and upsetting it will never be an easy one as the stakes are so high.
If finding someone guilty of rape was an “easy” process , this would be a very dangerous scenario.
In this case I do hope that the jury who lived with this case for so long were best placed to deliver a fair verdict.
While the verdict of the case is one thing, the facts that emerged are quite another.
Consent or no consent we saw professional, privileged and gifted men willingly sharing a young, vulnerable woman for sex, which is quite horrible and disgusting and it does tell the whole world an awful lot about their characters and how they view women.
I watched the statements being read out by (or on behalf of) the various “innocent” parties after the case and there seemed to be a lot of finger pointing but no acceptance at all that their behaviour was wrong in any way – I thought what was communicated was very poor and misguided.
There will be even more outrage if these men don’t lose their jobs with the IRFU, which will be very tricky for all concerned – if a jury found them not guilty, what can they do? – lets see.
I read one particular very sad tweet that went: “On days like this I am thankful I don’t have a daughter”.
I am so thankful everyday that I have a wonderful daughter.
Do #IBelieveHer ?
I wasn’t there so I can’t say and it is probably the same for you.
Do I think she was treated badly?
She was treated horribly and I think these boys will pay a heavy, deserved price for this.
Greg Canty Fuzion Blog 
March 29, 2018 at 8:57 am |
Well said, Greg. A lot of people can’t seem to distinguish between them being found not guilty and then being innocent. The burden of proof quite rightly is set high and there appeared to be too many grey areas in the case for the jury to be able to be able to conclude the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that these men had committed what they were charged with.
I have three daughters and I hope to god they never come across men like these who treat women like chattels. They may not not be guilt of rape but they certainly have proven to be people of poor character.
On a separate note I really worry about where social media is going and how this word ‘outrage’ now seems to be so common across all social media platforms. Reasoned responses and debate is harder and harder tinf find.
March 29, 2018 at 9:04 am |
You are so on the button Donagh – Even expressing a reasoned opinion, as both of us have done (I’m quite sure) means you could get your head taken clean off. If a jury were to do the popular thing they should have listened to no evidence, thrown these boys in jail for life and saved everyone a lot of bother – thankfully that is not the case as that would be so dangerous.
It would be nice if awful behaviour was a crime – I think this case would have been won hands down, with the evidence that was uncovered.
Thanks for being brave and giving an opinion.
Greg
April 4, 2018 at 9:04 am |
I read only the text transcript and I think probably guilty but that’s not enough to convict. Change? I will try to be more vocal and mindful
April 4, 2018 at 10:11 am |
Thanks Bernard