Wednesday 24 February 2010

The 'If This Had Been A Man' Conundrum...

Get drunk, sexually assault a colleague in your hotel room?
Sharon Bailey, defending, urged Judge Ian Karsten QC to suspend any prison sentence because Cottingham, who acted 'completely out-of-character' has already suffered enough.
She was jailed for a year. A year. No mention of the sex offenders register, either...

Kill your loved one driving a car you had no license for?
Anna Hibben, 18, had failed her driving test three times but still got behind the wheel of her boyfriend's Peugeot 106.

She drove at speeds of up to 67mph on a country road at night before clipping another vehicle and hitting a tree, killing 17-year-old passenger Gary Pitchford. The car's headlights were turned off at the moment of impact.

Hibben, who was 17 at the time, repeatedly told police that she was 'not driving', but her sandal was found wedged beneath the brake pedal, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
She walked free, was only given a nine-month suspended sentence.

What is it with judges? Are they all in bed (figuratively!) with Harriet Harman and Vera Baird?

4 comments:

Jeff Wood said...

Interesting that Cottingham claimed "consent", like many a man does.

Mike said...

wtf is wrong with people? Male, female it makes no difference, I’m asuming she, without consent penetrated the victim having removed her underwear and that is the very definition of rape. She lost her job, was drunk etc. can you imagine the outrage if this was even considered when a man had been found guilty of doing this to a woman.

I don’t even believe this woman is a lesbian just a horrible person, there are so many young women like this, totally irresponsible attacking men, women and children and getting off scot free.

The focus of the police, CPS, media and the public is fixed on men I sometimes feel I can empathise with blacks during slavery and women 50 years ago.

blueknight said...

although putting Cottingham in prison will be like sending an alcoholic to a brewery.......

JuliaM said...

"Interesting that Cottingham claimed "consent", like many a man does."

Yup, nothing new under the sun...

"wtf is wrong with people?"

That's my default setting now whenever I flip to the 'Mail' news page...

"although putting Cottingham in prison will be like sending an alcoholic to a brewery......."

True! ;)