#justiceforched (and his supporters) continues

Regrettably, the woman who Ched Evans raped, an action for which he is currently serving a 5 year prison term, has been bullied into leaving the country, such was the abuse she suffered at the hands of Evans’ supporters.

She has received a small measure of justice, however, as 9 of those bullies were last month told to pay her £624 each in compensation, with another defendant pleading not guilty and facing a trial in January. , Alexandra Sian Hewitt, 24, of Cherry Dale Road, Broughton, Chester, found guilty after changing her not guilty plea, on January 21st, (updated 27th January 2013, Hewitt picture added 10th March 2013) resulting in a fine and costs coming to more than £1600:

It’s not much of a punishment, derisory in fact, but they can all, legally, be named and shamed, and they have all also acquired a criminal record, which may prove awkward in the future, especially for teacher Holly Price,of Derwent Close, Prestatyn (on the left in this photo). She can hide her face from the photographer, but she can’t hide her record from her employers:

Another coward hiding his face after the trial was Shaun Littler of Ashbourne Road, Handsworth, Sheffield:

Only slightly braver were the following “internet warriors”.
Paul Devine of Buchanan Road, Sheffield:

Daniel Cardwell of White Lane, Chapeltown, Sheffield:

Benjamin Davies of Elwy Drive, Rhyl:

Michael Ashton, of Gwelfor Terrace, Llanddulas:

Dominic Green of Oakwood Road, Rhyl:

Craig MacDonald of Greenacres Caravan Park, Prestatyn:

Last, but not least, is Evans’ cousin, Gemma Thomas of South Drive, Rhyl, who was distressed that the money she was ordered to pay would go to the victim, and refused point-blank to apologise to her:

A short clip of a radio interview with her can be heard by clicking here,

(All pictures, except the ones of Evans and Alexandra Hewitt, are from here. The picture of Hewitt is from here.)

Related articles

• Woman fined over rape victim name (bbc.co.uk)

Justice For Ched’s Supporters!

“Wish you were here?” Some of Ched Evans’ supporters could find themselves behind bars too.

Ched Evans will have his appeal, and it’s possible he will win, but the activity of some of his supporters has been appalling, even if he is acquitted.

I can understand his family and friends standing by him, but the “#justiceforched” hashtag on Twitter has, whether or not it was originally intended, been an attempt to subvert justice by intimidation, chiefly of the victim. Some idiots even posted links to Facebook and Twitter profiles of someone with the same surname, asking whether that person was related to “the slut”.

Evans’ appeal might consist of an examination of the transcript of the trial, or it could be a full rehearing, in which case naming the victim is an even more serious matter.

One or two people have said that they aren’t bothered by the prospect of prosecution, because they’ve heard that it’s “only a £5000 fine, which I haven’t got, so good luck with that”.

Well yes, that’s probably true, if the charge is just for revealing the victim’s name. (That’s leaving aside the possible escalation of charges for failure to pay the fine.)

However, one person has already been arrested for “malicious communication” and, as far as I can ascertain, he isn’t the worst culprit. Malicious communication can be punished with imprisonment, in most cases 6 months, in the case of a sustained attack, 5 years.

I have been very careful to remove the victim’s name from any screenshots, as well as other names that might help to trace hers, It’s probably too late, but it’s still a criminal offence and besides, it’s just plain wrong. Others, including Sky News, have not been as careful, and may face prosecution.

It is those who heaped abuse on the victim, calling her such things as “slut” and “slag”, as well as deliberately and repeatedly using her name, who should be most worried.

Update 1st May: Nine more arrests.

Update 2nd May: Another one bites the dust.

Update 9th May: The plot thickens.

Related articles

• Justice For Ched’s Victim! (neitshade.wordpress.com)
• Twitter reaction to Ched Evans case shows rape culture is alive and kicking | Amanda Bancroft (guardian.co.uk)
• Wales News: Sheffield United probe Ched Evans Twitter comments by team-mate Connor Brown (walesonline.co.uk)
• Twitter users to be arrested over naming of Ched Evans rape victim (guardian.co.uk)
• Ched Evans fans to applaud rapist at Sheffield United Match (HuffintonPost.co.uk)

Justice For Ched’s Victim!

Victims of rape and sexual assault are guaranteed anonymity for life. Some crybabies on Twitter, using the hashtag  ”#JusticeForChed“, upset that footballer Ched Evans was convicted of rape, decided for themselves to remove that anonymity. No doubt they’ll be even more upset when the police come to arrest them.

This is just one example of the venom directed at the victim (I’ve obscured the names, though it’s probably too late):

I don’t know why Evans’ conviction upsets them so much. Some are probably fans, others may well think that rape victims deserve whatever they get. They say Evans’ victim is “well known for sleeping around”. I don’t know if that’s even true, but if it is, so what? Who she has sex with is still her choice.

There are certainly some women who cry rape when no crime has been committed. If there weren’t there wouldn’t be a need for trials. One of the reasons for a false accusation is financial gain, either directly from the alleged rapist in the form of blackmail, or from selling the story to the media. Neither of these scenarios seems to apply in Evans’ case, yet his supporters are keen to label his victim a “money-grabbing slag”. If she does sell her story, and it’s not a response to being named and humiliated against her will, then they’ll have a valid argument. Unless that happens, they’re just being abusive, not just to the woman in this case, but to all rape victims.

Edited to add: As for the word slag, being bandied about on Twitter, as MarkC reminds me in the comments below, “There would never be any circumstance in which someone using this term of abuse would ever have a valid argument, since it is based on a false and misogynist premise.”

Evans may appeal against his conviction, and it’s possible he’ll win his appeal, but if he does it doesn’t change the fact that many of his supporters are appalling misogynists. What’s even sadder is that that includes many women.

Related articles

• Police investigating alleged naming of Ched Evans rape victim online (telegraph.co.uk)
• Ched Evans conviction: the vitriol after the verdict (thefword.org.uk)
• CPS: Ched Evans had ‘total disregard’ for victim’s wellbeing (itv.com)
• Evans rape victim ‘named online’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Sheffield United Probes Rape Case Tweets (news.sky.com)
• ‘A money-grabbing slag’: Sheffield United launch probe into Twitter comments ‘made by Ched Evans’ teammate Connor Brown’ (mirror.co.uk)