Beefy's Corner - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

When I was under 16 I was certainly capable of consenting to sex, and would have done if presented with the opportunity. I'm sure we've all known underage boys and girls who have had sex because they wanted to, and not because of some traumatic past. The fact is kids naturally have these desires long before they are deemed old enough to act on them by law. It's ridiculous to try and pretend that's not the case.

 

There is a difference between youngsters of a similar age having sex and an adult taking advantage of them.

 

Again, I'm not saying it's okay.

 

Come on Joe, you know that "being capable of consenting to sex" isn't the same as just wanting it. As TSS says above, there are a lot of issues involved with deciding to have sex with someone or not, and as a society we have at some point in the past decided that below a certain age, currently 16, we are not able to find a path through that minefield of emotion and physical desire balanced against moral or parental restrictions. It may well be that the age of consent needs to be lowered but at least there needs to be one! Otherwise you would be back in the Middle Ages, or like in Game of Thrones, where girls would be married off at their "first flowering".

 

I also know that wanting sex and being forcibly raped are not the same.

 

I never said they were, and I agree with you, but the point is all about the capacity to consent.

 

Those would all be sentencing considerations though, one would assume. As far as I know two consenting teenagers where one or both is U16 would not be illegal/wrong. In that case the girl was 13 and the man 41, it seems to me that that difference would be beyond the line, and the girl being "sexually experienced" not really a mitigating factor.

 

The way legal systems work makes it somewhat necessary but the whole practice of "drawing a line in the sand" is nonsense. The idea that everyone gains the ability to make these judgments at the same time and literally overnight is absurd. The "line in the sand" is made even more absurd by the fact that the age when you miraculously gain this ability varies from country to country. Legally, if you're 15 and in Paris you are able to consent to sex but if you get the Eurostar to London suddenly you're not. That's clearly ridiculous.

At least in Germany they make some sort of allowance. As I recall the lower age of consent is 14 but if the younger partner in a sexual relationship is between 14 and 18 the older partner can be prosecuted if they're over 21 and deemed to be taking advantage of the younger partner. That seems far more sensible than a simple line in the sand.

 

He watched her take off her school uniform...this is not a case of not knowing her age. He is a *****phile. A decent man would have shown her the door. He took advantage of a girl who had probably been abused in the past. She was probably seeking affection more than sex. Of course it cannot be as traumatic as forced rape, but the law is there to protect the vulnerable. I am often concerned about judges in cases like these...I wonder about their sexual proclivities.

 

I think a few people are struggling to keep track of what I'm arguing here.

 

I've noticed that. I think it's always bound to happen with such a sensitive area, though.

 

Basically yes both are illegal, but they both shouldn't be both treated the same.

 

Cat in a shark costumes chases a duck whilst riding a hoover. Enjoy!

[video=youtube;Of2HU3LGdbo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of2HU3LGdbo&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

Doing a pretty ****ing ****e job of chasing it.

 

Barrister in the *****phile case has been suspended from child abuse cases pending an investigation. I note that the defendant had child porn photographs and had a prior history...how is a suspended sentence the right decision in this case.

 

http://swampland.time.com/2013/08/0...-overturn-the-death-sentence-of-jesus-christ/

 

Surprisingly there's a female barrister who has been supporting the ruling in this case too, but if you read her Twitter feed, she seems slightly deranged....

 

Got a link?

 

Just trying to re-find it...

 

Here you go - Barbara Hewson - http://huff.to/1erEM2x - her Twitter is @barbarahewson and she seems a bit barking......