Ched Evans

[redarmi]

According to the Guardian the lady that started the petition against him has been receiving up to 500 abusive tweets a minute.  If true that is both amazing and vile.

That is simply impossible.

You can search the tweets a person has received by using @ in the search box.

I saw she had some horrible remarks aimed at her, but 500 a day would be exaggerating, 500 a minute is far more than Bieber gets

Yeah it does seem fairly unlikely but if she is even receiving fifty a day it is pretty horrendous.  I just don't get what would make someone want to do something like that.  I mean I find Nigel Farage  pretty unsavoury but I can't imagine ever tweeting anything at him never mind threatening him.  I just find it bizarre

[david3103]

I think the FA should take the lead and bring in a code of personal conduct package all registered players need to stick to or face bans or discipline.

For very serious breaches such as rape, murder etc it would be a lifetime ban

Thus taking the decision whether to employ a player with a shady past out of the hands of the individual clubs.

I don't often agree with Mr Hawkins' views, mainly because they often allow no concession to the idea that there may be some shades that fall in between black & white. This suggestion seems eminently sensible though, and prompts the thought that maybe being a convicted rapist just might, fall under the category of 'bringing the game into disrepute'.

[tikay]

Paul Heaton, former "Beautiful South" frontman, is the latest to resign as a Sheffield United Patron, which should save him a little time.


“I firmly believe that Ched Evans has the right to rebuild his career in football but rebuilding a career should not involve walking straight out of prison and into the shirt of the club he so badly let down,” said Heaton

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/17/singer-paul-heaton-quits-patron-sheffield-united-ched-evans

[horseplayer]

Very well put piece that

[TheDazzler]

The Irish PFAs solicitor has written an article on the case.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/17/ched-evans-irish-pfa-guildford-four

He's actually a former team mate of mine in schoolboy football!
There is a link in the Guardian article to his his original piece which I read yesterday. However when I click on that link now, it seems like his article has been pulled.
In fairness to him, he was simply writing it for the Irish PFA website, I'm sure he didn't think it would get picked up by the British media. I think the Irish PFA would have been better leaving it up as now you only have the Guardian journalist taking the most inflammatory pieces quotes from it.

[Jon MW]

Oh dear - given that there have been several people pilloried over suggesting that some rapes are worse than others I don't think he can argue something similar without expecting it to be picked up by other media.

Naive at best but I suspect he's just the same as the other apologists for Ched the Rapist, the only difference is he happens to be a solicitor.

Heaton's argument above about him being able to be rehabilitated - but not just by picking up where he left off is much more convincing.

[TheDazzler]

Oh dear - given that there have been several people pilloried over suggesting that some rapes are worse than others I don't think he can argue something similar without expecting it to be picked up by other media.

Naive at best but I suspect he's just the same as the other apologists for Ched the Rapist, the only difference is he happens to be a solicitor.

Heaton's argument above about him being able to be rehabilitated - but not just by picking up where he left off is much more convincing.

Well this is why I think they should have left the article up. As I say, he was writing it for an Irish audience and asking could it happen to a player in Ireland. His legal view is that that case would not see the light of day in an Irish court.

[Jon MW]

Ireland isn't exactly known for women's rights - so that isn't exactly surprising

Lowest rates of convictions for rape in Europe according to Wikipedia

[action man]

someone has to be lowest

[DungBeetle]

Surely the conviction statistic is meaningless as a comparison unless all CPS equivilants require the same level of evidence to send a case to court and all laws regarding a particular crime are indentical country to country?

[DungBeetle]

Although having said that, if they wouldn't take the Evans case to court (and similar) and they also still have the lowest conviction rate then it doesn't paint them in a good light.

[Jon MW]

This is to give an indication
http://www.amnesty.ie/news/damning-indictment-ireland%E2%80%99s-attitude-women

The summary is that social surveys in Ireland suggest that a higher than average level there would think a lot of cases aren't really rape - or the very least partly the woman's fault.

It's not directly relevant to this case but I think the suggestion would be that this solicitor's contribution is less of a defence for Evans and more of an indictment of the Irish system.

[DungBeetle]

Well it seems they have different laws.  It's likely Evans would have got off on this basis if the crime had been in Ireland:

Hmmm - doesn't look like a great system does it?

"A defendant can assert an “honest but mistaken belief” that the victim consented, which is decided by the jury on the basis of whether the defendant believed the complainant has consented, no matter how unreasonable that belief.  Where such a defence is raised, the defendant is more likely to be granted leave to produce evidence of, and cross-examine the complainant on, the complainant’s sexual history. (The Examiner survey found that 29% of the public believe the woman partially or totally responsible if she has had many different sexual partners.) "

[kinboshi]

Waiting for the "she had a short skirt on so was asking for it" defence to be made.

[DaveShoelace]

Waiting for Sean Bean to get dragged into the debate.