Indeed, a friend of mine was nearly driven to suicide by such an accusation. However I have heard the audio and there is no doubt that the bloke is an awful excuse for a human being. It is very unfortunate that the audio can’t be used as the sole evidence. Has the ex been paid or frightened off? Has to be one or the other.
As I said before, do Utd keep him? Release him or try to sell him? Can’t see the money grabbers just releasing him. Surely he cannot play in England again

I don't really get your point - the story is barely in the media and certainly the audio/images aren't, so I don't really see how it's through that lens.

The only lens through which he is 'innocent' is that of a lawyer where you can create all sorts of unlikely, bordering ridiculous, hypotheticals as possible explanations - any sort of common sense view on it is that he is, at best, an absuer and a nasty piece of work, and at worst, a rapist.

I think the legal system is quite clearly failing in this space and so the idea that it should be blindly trusted does not make sense to me - with the conviction rates for sexual abuse and rape as low as they are, the options are either that a vast majority of accusers/women are lying and inventing stories, or that the system doesn't work.

Whilst there are undeniably some accusers who do invent these tales, I think anyone would struggle to make an argument that this accounts for over 90% of these cases.

If you accept that, then you accept that the legal system is failing to achieve convictions on these charges, and therefore the 'innocent until proven guilty' argument does not really hold up.

To be clear, I am not for one minute suggestion we now label everyone a rapist at the first chance, but when there is clear evidence available in the public domain which is so obviously incriminating, I think people need to be more receptive to that rather than trying to invent a ridiculous scenario where it might not be what it so obviously is.

It's hugely inhibitive to victims and future victims to see someone who had a mountain of proof still have it thrown in her face that she must be lying, must be a golddigger, must like it really... it's already a crime which goes unreported in so many cases because people see no chance of a conviction, and public reaction like that just makes that worse.

You are assuming that the audio /images are authentic I am making the point we actually don't know that for a fact. We also know because of the DPP statement that new evidence has come to light, quite what that is and how relevant it is we don't know.

We (or I) have not heard his version of events her side has been widely reported whether that is correct no one can say indeed the victim might even contradict some points that have been reported.

Until you have a trial we simply don't know.

And yes I agree that the legal system isn't working for these types of crimes I might start a separate thread on that.

Edited by Badger11 (03 Feb 2023 4.19pm)

Which as I said is a lawyer's lens.

Edited by EverybodyDannsNow (03 Feb 2023 4.32pm)

just another thought, why did it take so long to go to trial, the longer it went on the victim is liable to not go along with it anymore, for various reasons, maybe some nefarious or just needs to get on with her life?

These are not signs of simply a dysfunctional relationship.

What are the weird aspects to the case and what are the questions?