The blame game

3 Oct 2012

Quote by GnV
Further, if my understanding is correct, it might not go to Crown Court. The offence of child abduction can be dealt with summarily in the lower courts.

Of course it will go to crown court GnV.
A magistrates court will hear a case IF the guilty verdict can be six months or less in prison. It can then be either referred to a crown court for sentencing, or passed over to crown court if the magistrate thinks it is too serious for a magistrates court to deal with.
It will be heard in the first instance in the lower court, and then if he pleads guilty the lower court will send it to crown for sentence as whatever he will be charged with is a serious offense much likely with a higher than 6 months prison sentence.
In my book it will be sent to Crown as soon as a plea is issued. So a Crown court for sentence if he were to plead guilty, and a Crown court with judge and jury if he pleads not guilty. Either way there is not a chance that this will be heard anywhere else than in a crown court with a judge.

3 Oct 2012

What I don't understand is why she went and fell in love with a geeky Maths teacher?? I mean, come on... A maths teacher...
I met jail bait 15 year olds when I was in my 30's and resisited - this guy didn't. He was weak and he succumbed to what was possibly great and unrelenting temptation. Was he foolish? Yes. Do I understand why he did it? Yes indeed - temptation.

3 Oct 2012

Think i'm correct in that he would have to prove that he thought she was over 18 not 16 as being her teacher was in a position of trust.
Unless she was in the end of a 6th form career ... or pretending to be, then i don't think he has a good defence.
The defence (not legal defence, but moral i may add,) in that she may have dressed and acted like an older girl is a weak one ... her birth certificate states she was 15.
The long and short of it is that he gave in to the temptations of a younger girl that i doubt she will see as love in a few years time.
The law is there to protect and i'm sure we will see criminal proceedings as a warning to others in his position.

3 Oct 2012

Quote by Too Hot
What I don't understand is why she went and fell in love with a geeky Maths teacher?? I mean, come on... A maths teacher...
I met jail bait 15 year olds when I was in my 30's and resisited - this guy didn't. He was weak and he succumbed to what was possibly great and unrelenting temptation. Was he foolish? Yes. Do I understand why he did it? Yes indeed - temptation.

" And lead us not into temptation "

3 Oct 2012

Quote by Suedehead
Think i'm correct in that he would have to prove that he thought she was over 18 not 16 as being her teacher was in a position of trust.

I think that's right too, but I'm not sure which piece of legislation that comes from. But, having talked about this with several friends who are teachers, I understand that there is a different offence for him in relation to the fact that he was her teacher (probably in addition to the child abduction offence).
I also read somewhere that the school had found out about their "relationship" and were investigating, which may explain the (stupid) decision to try to flee the country...

3 Oct 2012

Under the terms of the extradition warrant he can only be charged in the UK with Child Abduction. So probably a sentence of 18-24 months, serving 12-18.

4 Oct 2012

I guess The Daily Wail will want him publicly flogged and his balls fed to the prisoners of cell block H

10 Oct 2012

While doing some recent research on the American Western frontier during the 1800s, girls were getting married at 15, 16 and some times even 14, how things have changed in a relatively short time

10 Oct 2012

I think I read somewhere that, at 15, females are more than adequately prepared - physiologically at least - to bear children.
At much younger ages, they are not developed sufficiently to bear children without a risk to their health (womb insufficiently developed etc) and I can support the notion that the law should offer protection to children in such circumstances.