this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
693 points (98.1% liked)

Not The Onion

15614 readers
2241 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

  1. Links to news stories from...
  2. ...credible sources, with...
  3. ...their original headlines, that...
  4. ...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Please also avoid duplicates.

Comments and post content must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

JFC, I was afraid this was in the US. I'm not pleased to realize there are other places just as fucked up. Though in the US the excuse for letting him off would have to be that he was rich, not brilliant.

[–] XM34@feddit.org 0 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

In the US and a lot of other countries this wouldn't even be considered rape. It's good that it is here, but this case isn't quite as easy as it seems on first glance.

I think the judge made the right call here. It was a drunk hook up where both people were drunk, but conscious. The girl was quite a bit more drunk to the point where she was ruled unable to consent in a legal senses despite the fact she did and several witnesses confirmed she did.

Again, still rape, which is sex without consent, but very far from the vicious predator most people are picturing right now.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 34 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

no sentence be passed as this would result in the accused having great difficulty in finding work in the medical profession.

I wonder why the medical profession doesn't want rapists.... 🤔

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] RymrgandsDaughter@lemmy.world 23 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Well let's Brock Allen Turner this motherfucker

[–] slingstone@lemmy.world 16 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

What's the guys name? You're right that we need to treat him like that other rapist, Brock Allen Turner.

[–] lordofthepants@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Are you guys talking about the rapist, Brock Allen Turner, or a different rapist named Brock Allen Turner?

[–] slingstone@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

There's just the one Brock Allen Turner, rapist, of which I'm aware. This other guy, though, needs to be made as famous as Brock.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 61 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

" By finding him guilty but not punishing him, he will be made to feel guilty and the chance of him reoffending will be prevented, without socially impairing the man "

So that judge is either a rapist or an idiot.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

"I don't want to impose a BLACK stain on this young man's reputation..."

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

No, he's low key racist, and in the Good Ol' Boy club, and probably was bribed.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 13 points 16 hours ago (8 children)

They were both drunk. She was more drunk.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] chrischryse@lemmy.world 44 points 21 hours ago

Ok I can understand if he was caught with pot, drug paraphernalia, or drunk driving (without injuring someone).

But raping someone? Idc if you’re talented or have a bright future you should have it on your record or face a punishment like probation

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 27 points 20 hours ago (4 children)

The man hasn't been named by Belgian media. 😠

Internet detectives, hear my call! Find the name of this rapist so that we may plaster it everywhere like the rapist Brock Turner!

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Just like Brock Turner, the rapist!

[–] kipo@lemm.ee 15 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh Brock Allen Turner, the rapist who now goes by Allen Turner?

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago

Yup, the rapey one

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world -5 points 7 hours ago

Hey, I'm really young and talented! I would hope to one day meet an awesome playmate like Lulu Chu. She is awesome like Tera Patrick but in a more docile.... Oh my wife said no. Sorry Lulu! Maybe pen pals? I'll check with my wife.

[–] kiagam@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (3 children)

And when I say I don't trust judges and that the justice system of most places is broken for giving a single person the final decision power, based on whatever they think is right, people say I'm trolling.

Judges pull decisions out of their ass to fulfill whatever interest they have. Or sometimes just because they are stupid.

Good judges are super rare.

[–] stormeuh@lemmy.world 9 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah in this case I think it's more a case of "hey this guy looks kind of like my son". In this case I think it led to a miscarriage of justice, but I think in other cases that kind of thinking could protect against excessively harsh punishments. In the end I think it comes down to inequality. Bigger inequality shrinks the pool of people judges can intuitively relate to, which in turn makes judgements more unequal.

[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

And that is why DEI policies were first on the chopping block sadly.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 67 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So if he’s gonna rape as a med student, he’s definitely gonna rape as a doctor. And that judge is a rapist too, judging from their warped views

[–] beansbeansbeans@lemmy.world 13 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I thought the same thing. The judge is too lenient and I question their morality.

[–] WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

He probably did something similar in his past. Maybe raped a drunk girl at a party or similar while in undergrad. Never got caught for it, and never went on to do it again. So he figured if he can learn his lesson and not repeat the crime, why not this kid? Justice to the victims isn't even considered.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Hey, Schmababaugh got away with it...

Boys will boys, and they like beer...

/s

[–] DV8@lemmy.world 91 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Oh wow, something from Belgium showed up here. Obviously most reactions are the same here. But I would urge everyone to read more details about this. As there much more uncomfortable nuance here. One of those being that the dude is also in agreement he did something wrong. He also gave a relatively accurate description of the events of that evening that got proven with phone records and CCTV at different locations. Making his account of what happened at the least somewhat reliable.

Obviously the woman could not consent because she was drunk as fuck. And she's allowed to get drunk as fuck without being taken advantage off. CCTV showed them kissing at the bar they met. Phone records show he tried to call her friend she was supposed to go home with. CCTV shows them going to that friend's dorm and not getting in and waiting there for half an hour. Then they walk back to his place while kissing on the way there. The morning after his messages to her indicate he wants to continue seeing her. (https://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250402_95297572?journeybuilder=nopaywall but it's in Dutch)

Again, she could not consent, and he as the least drunk of both of them bears the responsibility of this. I do think he should have had some form of punishment above of what he got and for the woman's feeling of safety a restraining order like she asked. And something that would have made mandatory counselling and follow-up possible. Not to mention that although justice in Belgium isn't supposed to be revenge, it should also cause some sort of satisfaction for the victim.

This situation just shows that the definition of rape over the decades has become more complex and nuanced, but unfortunately the tools to deal with this have not. This dude definitely did something wrong, but he's not just a vicious predator.

[–] 2ugly2live@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (13 children)

If they were both drunk, could either of them consent?

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world -1 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

What does that matter if he was drunk to?

Apparently not too drunk to undress her, and himself, then insert himself.

This is rape.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (3 children)

It really depends on how drunk you actually were at the time, and that’s what makes cases like this so difficult. Generally speaking, simply being drunk isn’t enough.

Hell, even being blackout drunk isn’t enough. Because you can be blacked out without being passed out; Blackout drunk simply means your brain isn’t recording things to your memory, so you won’t remember it after you sober up. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol doesn’t make you forget existing memories. It just makes it so you don’t ever commit things to memory in the first place. That’s what happens when you’re blackout drunk.

In order to be incapable of consenting, you need to be so drunk that you can’t comprehend what is happening. Because informed consent requires two things: Information anbout what is happening, and enthusiasm. You can have both, even while blackout drunk. Because you forgetting your enthusiasm the next morning doesn’t automatically make it rape. After all, you were informed and enthusiastic when it was happening, so you consented. If you were capable of understanding what was happening and were enthusiastic, it’s not legally considered rape.

And that’s a surprisingly high threshold to beat. You usually need to prove to the courts that you were basically passed out (and therefore unable to be informed about what was happening) before they’ll consider it rape.

Even if people would colloquially consider drunk sex rape, that’s not typically how the courts view it. And that’s a large part of why so many accused rapists get off without a guilty verdict; The victim basically has to prove that they were missing either information or enthusiasm to overcome the accused’s “they consented to it” defense. And if the victim was blacked out and doesn’t even remember the evening, that becomes extremely difficult to do without outside witnesses corroborating that the victim was passed out and/or combative.

And hell, in cases like the Brock Turner one, even when the victim proves that she was passed out, the rapist can still get away with just a slap on the wrist.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

He can get away with it when he's "Upstanding Citizen From An Impeccable Family, And This Would Ruin His Future."

In other words, a rich male white kid. Whose daddy plays golf with the attorneys, and judge.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Brock Turner?

You mean convicted rapist Brock Turner?

I just want to make sure that's the rapist Brock Turner you're talking about and not some other Brock Turner.

I only know of one Brock Turner, and he definitely raped a woman, but the judge let him off easy because he has affluenze.

The judge decided that a punishment might jeopardize the rich kid's future, and cited that he hadn't been brought up to realize the consequences of his actions. To my naive understanding that seems like a really teachable moment.

By the way, in case anyone wasn't sure: Brock Turner, the convicted rapist, raped a woman and got away with it because his parents are rich.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

How dare you besmirch Brock Turner.

The convicted rapist FORMERLY known as Brock Turner is now known as Allen Turner!

Get it right!

/SARCASM

Fuck that guy. I hope it follows him the rest of his life.

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 11 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Rapist Brock Turner, aka rapist Allen Turner, who got a 6-month slap-on-the-wrist sentence for what his father called (and I quote) "twenty minutes of action"? That rapist Brock Allen Turner? The one who only served 3 months?!

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

"Hell, your Honor, he had whiskey dick! It took 13 minutes to get it up! How much damage could he have done!"

Disgusting.

I wonder if he would have felt the same if a bunch of Frat Bros had cornholed his son in a "Hazing Ritual."

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 4 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, Brock aka Allen Turner! The rapist who barely got inconvenienced after he raped a woman who was passed out. The one who had two guys testify against him because they interrupted him in the middle of raping someone.

That rapist Brock Turner.

[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Now known as Allen Turner. The Rapist.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (11 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 165 points 1 day ago (3 children)

This reminds me of the rapist Brock Turner, aka Allen Turner, the rapist.

[–] spirinolas@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago

Yes, the rapist Brock Allen Turner is also the first thing that crossed my mind. How he got away after raping that girl and now is even trying to change his name.

[–] Chip_Rat@lemmy.world 104 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh Allen Turner? Who started using his middle name instead of Brock Turner? Because he raped an unconscious woman behind a dumpster? That guy? (Brock/Allen Turner?)

I just want to be sure I'm thinking of the right guy...

https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/us/sexual-assault-brock-turner-stanford/index.html

This Brock Allen Turner right?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] natecox@programming.dev 122 points 1 day ago (4 children)

By finding him guilty but not punishing him, he will be made to feel guilty and the chance of him reoffending will be prevented, without socially impairing the man

What a load of horse shit. “Letting him get away with rape penalty free will ensure he doesn’t do it again” is some crazy fucking logic. Seems like knowing there are no consequences for your actions would make repeating the offense significantly more likely.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›