The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #152837 Message #3576685
Posted By: GUEST,Brimbacombe
18-Nov-13 - 07:27 AM
Thread Name: Roy Harper charged 2013, cleared 2015
Subject: RE: Roy Harper charged
As others have said, Harper is innocent until proven guilty, and the woman involved deserves to be treated with respect.
For those questioning why she 'left it so long' to come forward, I'd suggest reading the (most recent) autobiography of rugby union player Brian Moore in which he talks about his experiences of being sexually abused as a boy by one of his teachers, and why it took him to long to reveal what happened. Each case is, of course, unique and has its own set of complexities, but if a man of Moore's fearsome reputation can still be frightened in adulthood of a this person, then you see what such abuse can do to someone psychologically. None of which makes Harper guilty, of course. I just think there's a mindset in this country that if someone doesn't report a crime immediately, then it didn't happen. The Savile case shows the flaw in this mindset, but it still happens.