It’s probably a coincidence but my original piece on Ched Evans attracted mountains of Spam, unlike anything I have ever posted.
I’ve removed it now but as I feel strongly about the case, here it is again.
“Just because 12 people found him guilty, people should not necessarily listen to them.” These were the words of Ched Evans’ sister Kylie when interviewed on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ show. Her brother, need I remind you, has just been released from prison after serving half of a five year sentence for rape.
The arguments following this case are very similar to those which have been used with other footballers who have committed crimes. Should they be allowed to resume their careers when they have served their time?
Ched Evans never denied the substance of the case. In 2013, Evans and his friend Clayton MacDonald met a 19 year old girl in a pizza shop on a night out in Rhyl. She was desperately drunk and Evans and MacDonald took her back to a hotel where they both had sex with her whilst being filmed on mobile phones by Evans’ brother and another friend. She later remembered nothing about what had happened after waking up alone and went to the police. Evans was convicted of rape.
If Evans had shown some contrition, some regret for his actions, there might be some justification for supporting his return to his chosen profession, but he hasn’t. Moreover, he has denied that he did anything wrong and, funded by the multimillionaire father of his girlfriend, he has a substantial team of lawyers and private investigators who aim to overturn his conviction.
So the best legal assistance and investigation team money can buy is available to him.
The best information available to me is that Evans is a convicted rapist. The 12 people who found him guilty should be listened to, despite the nonsensical arguments of his sister, because they heard all the evidence in a court of law.
Just who is the victim here? Rape is a most heinous crime and the girl will have to live with what has happened to her for the rest of her life. She has already had to suffer the agony of rape and subsequently to move house after being widely named on social media. And on top of all this, the rapist still protests his innocence.
Unlike the jury, I have not seen all the evidence but on the basis of what I have seen I don’t see what Evans is trying to achieve here. Non-consensual sex with a vulnerable woman, what’s the word for that? There’s only one.
Sorry Ched Evans. The total lack of remorse and absence of contrition means there can be no second chance for you. You can’t play football again, sorry.
You’re a convicted rapist and no amount of money can change that.
2 comments
So well put Rick. He has shown not a jot of remorse. A truly vile little man.
Non-consensual sex is rape. I’m sure we can all agree on that. Being drunk does not mean you are “asking for it” or deserve to be raped. I’m sure we can all agree on that. Rape that doesn’t involve physical violence is still rape. I’m sure we can all agree on that.
But…..
What if you have drunken consensual sex that you can’t remember the next day? Is that rape? Because that’s what apparently happened in this case. If that’s rape, there are a multitude of men being raped by women as well.
Also, bizarrely, the jury found that the woman involved was capable of consent a few minutes beforehand with Evans’ codefendant. That’s why so many people think the jury in this case was unreliable. Either she was too drunk or she wasn’t, so either both defendants raped her or neither did. The conflicting verdicts make no sense and juries do get things wrong.
I actually agree though that if he DID commit rape I wouldn’t want to see him allowed to return to football, in a job where he could be a role model and public figure. But based on what I’ve read of the evidence I really don’t think he’s guilty. He sounds like an arrogant tosser. But that doesn’t make him a rapist.
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