Guilty until proven innocent?

[bikerfaerie]

Is anybody else feeling a bit uncomfortable about this case of the nursery worker, Vanessa George, who has been accused of sexual assalt and child porn? Obviously if she is guilty then that is comletely dispicable and a vile thing she has done. But as yet this is still an "if", she has not been convicted of anything. This has not stopped her

Comments

[hiddenpaw]

One of these days we will get to the point where sombody with a absolutly concreat case against them will stand up in court and claim a fair trial is impossible because of the bias press coverage and will walk. (An article I once read in the metro could have given the Ipswitch Ripper (I forget his real name) the chance to do this if any of his defence team had seen it so it's come very close already.

My instinctive mistrust of the press makes this all the more scary for me, because if they have decided somebody is guilty they will go on and on about it until they are somehow punished.

[daevid]

That's the thing that got to me the most... The anger of the mob and how little we have changed over the years...

[melancholyrose_]

Totally agree, her life if she is proven innocent is ruined forever mud like that sticks.
However if she is proven guilty as with any one else convicted of such crimes then they should be front page news with names and photos so parents and family etc can keep children safe.
There was a man released from prison a fair few years ago after serving time for child abuse who lived up the road from me and a couple of roads from my sis.
We were out shopping locally and spotted him in a shop, as me and the kids got to the tills and queued he moved very very close to my nieces, who were probably around 7 & 10 at the time.
I had been warned by my sis who he was and immediately put the kids in front of me and stood between him and them.
Had he even touched them in anyway I would have introduced him to my right hook without any remorse at all.
I have very little tolerance for child abusers and rapists and as long as the evidence is 100% then as far as I'm concerned hang them.

[nigelh]

I'm sure in other sensitive cases like this the identity of the alledged is kept private until they are convicted.

I'm pretty sure you're wrong. AFAIK criminal cases in this country are generally open. The major exceptions I believe are rape cases, where the alleged victim is allowed to remain anonymous (but the alleged perpetrator is not) and cases where a child is directly involved, to the extent required to protect the child's anonymity.