The language used in the article is interesting. Generally, most news sources in the US throw “allegedly” in whenever talking about something a suspect is said to have done. This is not usually done from an altruistic desire (e.g., they don’t really care whether they malign an innocent person or not), but because they’re worried about being liable for libel should the person be exonerated. This article doesn’t really hold much back, with the sheriff saying that the 16 year old was (not “allegedly was”) fondled over her clothes. That seems surprising to me.
Lol. I got 57.9%, that’s a D+.
Back to what this threads about. What a loser. Is he on this site?
78.9 B-
I know for sure that the church I clean every Wednesday has a pedophile reverend. He has the “look” and the “smile”. Watch out!
But the problem there is with the publicity and the way that the press always whips up witch hunts and hatred, not with the allegation of abuse (which of course was wrong but, as you say, turned out OK in the end).
I can garuntee that more people have thier lives trashed by being sexually abused than do by being accused of sexual abuse.
I found this comment at the website of the newspaper in which the article appeared: “This man is innocent I have known him for ten years. The 16 year old is a crackhead and lives with a black man. She has been kicked out of school. The family is doing this in retaliation. They live in a 20 foot trailer with animals. Mr Snodgrass has gave the family money to eat. He also used the father as a hired hand so they could have a little money. Check out their record before you judge Mr. Snodgrass. In this country you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Someday something like this could happen to you.”
If this is true (and I tend to believe comments like this more than the newspapers in which these sorts of stories appear), then the unicycle ‘teacher’ may be innocent
“The look”
This is a timely article from today’s newspaper. Fifteen months ago this made local page 1 headlines. The guy’s name was published and the story was on the local TV station. He was found guilty by the press. The woman’s name was not published. I suppose his personal life was pretty much ruined … imagine his kids dealing with it at school…
Even though he’s been found innocent it will never go away.
CAB DRIVER ACQUITTED OF SEX ASSAULT ON PASSENGER
Details cast doubt on veracity of complaint
Paula McCooey, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, December 21, 2007
A former Blue Line taxi driver has been acquitted of the sexual assault and forcible confinement of a young female passenger.
The judge in the case said he was “unable to be certain” about Roy Noja’s guilt, in part, because of the improbability of the act described.
Justice Douglas Rutherford said the case basically came down to “he said, she said.”
On one hand, he said, there is the account of the young woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban. The woman said she went to a ByWard Market bar with some friends on Sept. 10, 2006, and then flagged down a cab. She said the driver took a circuitous route to the Glebe and pulled her to the front of the cab. He held her tightly by the arm as he drove, then stopped at Bank Street and Third Avenue, and forced her to touch him sexually for “five to 10 minutes.”
But Mr. Noja denied the allegations during his testimony Wednesday. He said the two had a casual conversation, in which Mr. Noja revealed his first name and religious faith. He said she asked him twice to sit in the front seat and later ran from the cab, not because of an assault, but because she “stiffed” him for the $13 fare.
He said he did not call police because the loss was not worth pursuing.
In his decision, Judge Rutherford called the alleged incident “a pretty compelling account of sexual assault,” which would not be easy for the woman to invent. He acknowledged that photos admitted during the trial revealed “faint” bruising on the woman’s wrist.
He also found it “unusual” that a 19-year-old, petite, attractive woman, who was in a solid relationship with her boyfriend, would request to sit in the front seat beside the driver midway through a taxi ride.
However, Judge Rutherford said he wondered why a cab driver with such intentions would show the woman his identification, which he did when she told him she did not believe his name was Roy. The judge said he also found it odd that such an assault would take place on a bright, busy street instead of a more secluded, darker spot.
He further wondered why the driver would take her to the stop she requested, then “commit the clumsy offence” described.
“It would be risky and brazen for a cab driver to do,” said Judge Rutherford, who said he also considered Mr. Noja’s clean record, lack of prior complaints, and testimony under oath in rendering his decision.
What’s more, he said, the actions described by the woman – the driver dragging her into the front seat and subduing her while controlling the vehicle with his other hand – seemed improbable. “The whole series of acts causes me to wonder how it could have been accomplished,” the judge said.
After the acquittal, Mr. Noja thanked the judge and wished him a “Merry Christmas.”
“He is extremely relieved,” said Doug Baum, his defence lawyer. “He maintained his innocence throughout and now hopes to get his cab licence back.”
Totally agree on that. Still both are as worse. I think both should be prevented.
Any idea what the relevance of this is?
Many people in the US are still very racist. To many, living with a black man, especially a white girl/woman living with a black man, is worse than living with a white man, regardless of anything else.
“Black” is still too often associated with crime, drugs, and poverty. The same can often be said for people of Latin American/Mexican descent.
I see this kind of racism almost on a daily basis, in some form or another.
I’ve spoken with people from other countries that are surprised by the amount of racism still existing in the US.
I guess our friends across the pond are more progressive…
My primary occupation for 25 years has been that of licensed attorney at law (my day job).
Amerika suffers from every moral failing that the rest of the world does. As a result, Justice is an elusive concept, because it depends upon truth. If the truth is found in any case within our legal system, it is a mere by-product. Our system is not designed to find the truth. It is designed to reward the party who best persuades the judge or jury of their subjective version of the truth. In addition, our social vices avoid the truth at all cost. Better than anyone, Amerika has institutionalized the avoidance of truth, and substituted money as the ethic.
Bottom line: Justice (fairness for the sake of fairness) is never our system’s goal. Any “just” result in our law is happenstance upon the absence of a monied interest prevailing (which is rare here). Justice therefore remains a mere ideal, a supposition left to our hopes and dreams. Humans have a very, very long road to enlightenment.
Any questions? Now back to our beloved sport!
Fixed.
Where there is Law there is no Justice and where there is Justice there is no Law
Arrest Them All!
What happens if two 15 year olds have sex? Do you arrest and charge both of them for satutory rape?
Unicorn
Yes, but the court will need evidence. And you’re a good citizen. Which means that if you know of two 15 year olds that plan to have sex, go and film them.
Depends on how much fuss the girl’s parents make.
In the UK it might be decided that they were both Gillick competent and could therefore make a decision about having sex.
Girls vs Boys
What if it were the boys parents that decided to make a fuss? Here in Israel a female teacher was arrested for having sex with a 15 year old boy. She was promptly released because there was no law on the books against older women having sex with boys. On the other hand men get sent to jail quite often in Israel for having sex with girls under the age of 17!
I also think that if a male meets a girl in a bar and has sex with her he should not be accountable for satutory rape becasue what was a minor doing in a bar in the first place? If you meet some one in a bar it should be safe to asume that they are 18. (The same goes for a woman meeting a 15 year old boy in a bar.)
I do like Ivan’s idea about filming the session though!
Unicorn