Ched Evans - Not Guilty

Undecided on this, personally. Yes he's done his time, but he's also shown no remorse for his conviction and always protested his innocence. Is rape 'worse' than killing someone, like other players did who later went back to clubs? Why is it okay for him to go into some other profession, but not football? And are professional footballers these days really role models? Kids may well cheer them on as part of the team they support, but I have to admit that one of the first things I'll be teaching my son about the game is that most of the players on the telly are vacuous, overprivileged arseholes.

Should football take him back?

Don't buy into the "he's shown no remorse" thing because he's said he was innocent from day one; therefore why on earth would he?

I'm unsure; if he'd admitted to it I would say absolutely not but due to his stance of firmly denying rape it's kind of a grey area.

Tough one.

I feel like he should be able to earn a living now that he's done his time (according to the law). However if he was going to sign for my club I'd be completely against it, which seems kinda hypocritical.

What I don't understand is why he was only in jail for such a short amount of time.

I say ban him from the game until such time as he inevitably gets his conviction overturned on appeal, whereupon it'll come out he was convicted on something dodgy. Then all the people jumping on this bandwagon can go back to living their lives like it never happened.

Having done time is supposed to mean that he's ready to reintegrate into society. My vote would be that it's up to the club, but that he should be allowed to be a footballer, otherwise why is he a part of our society if not to work like everyone else?

Don't buy into the "he's shown no remorse" thing because he's said he was innocent from day one; therefore why on earth would he?

 

I'm unsure; if he'd admitted to it I would say absolutely not but due to his stance of firmly denying rape it's kind of a grey area.

But if he admitted it then he'd have more claim to have been rehabilitated through the custodial sentence and therefore deserving of a second chance.

I believe people should have a clean slate once they've served their time. I'm not comfortable with it completely, but I can't find a good reasoned argument against it.

It's uncomfortable because of the offence but I can't take issue with the principle that somebody should be able to get on with their lives once they have done the punishment society has demanded. Ched Evans didn't decide the punishment he should face.

I think that's actually quite an important lesson to teach young people. Certainly much more important than the notion of the footballer as role model. Parents should be the role models for children.

Don't buy into the "he's shown no remorse" thing because he's said he was innocent from day one; therefore why on earth would he?

 

I'm unsure; if he'd admitted to it I would say absolutely not but due to his stance of firmly denying rape it's kind of a grey area.

He's not admitted to it because he doesn't see what he did as rape!

He got into his mates hotel room, who had picked up a drunken woman for sex, by the time Evans got into the room she had already had consensual sex with his mate (albeit pissed) and passed out.

Evans then had sex with her while she was unconscious while another mate recorded it on his phone from outside the window.

As been said, he doesn't see this as rape and his family have crucified the girl on social sites as she's a bit of a bike and because she was pissed up and let his mate screw her 5 minutes after meeting, then obviously she deserved a bit of a gang bang while unconscious.

To me he's guilty as hell, but I'm on the fence as far as playing again. Be nice if he manned up and admitted he did wrong but he has paid the price.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

Don't buy into the "he's shown no remorse" thing because he's said he was innocent from day one; therefore why on earth would he?

 

I'm unsure; if he'd admitted to it I would say absolutely not but due to his stance of firmly denying rape it's kind of a grey area.

 

He's not admitted to it because he doesn't see what he did as rape!

 

He got into his mates hotel room, who had picked up a drunken woman for sex, by the time Evans got into the room she had already had consensual sex with his mate (albeit pissed) and passed out.

 

Evans then had sex with her while she was unconscious while another mate recorded it on his phone from outside the window.

 

As been said, he doesn't see this as rape and his family have crucified the girl on social sites as she's a bit of a bike and because she was pissed up and let his mate screw her 5 minutes after meeting, then obviously she deserved a bit of a gang bang while unconscious.

 

To me he's guilty as hell, but I'm on the fence as far as playing again. Be nice if he manned up and admitted he did wrong but he has paid the price.

 

 

'Footballers are role models.'

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

For every account like what Groo just posted there's one where someone absolves him of it; suggesting that nobody other than those involved truly know the facts.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

It seemed fairly dodgy but he was convicted by a jury of his peers so he done it as far as we're concerned.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

Pretty difficult to say without being in Court throughout.

Tried to follow it at the time. It was weird that Clayton McDonald got found not guilty for having sex with the same girl at the same time.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

 

For every account like what Groo just posted there's one where someone absolves him of it; suggesting that nobody other than those involved truly know the facts.

Was the phone video used in the trial? Surely that would be fairly conclusive.

But anyway, as Ian says the jury decided he was guilty. The whole point of our system is that they make the call.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

 

For every account like what Groo just posted there's one where someone absolves him of it; suggesting that nobody other than those involved truly know the facts.

 

Was the phone video used in the trial? Surely that would be fairly conclusive.

 

But anyway, as Ian says the jury decided he was guilty. The whole point of our system is that they make the call.

Yeah the question really is should someone be able to return to work once they have been found guilty of an offence and punished?

You can make it offence specific if you like.

I really don't see why he should be given a clean slate when his victim is now onto her second new identity and unable to get on with her life. Regardless of his claims of innocence he was convicted in a court of law of rape. His victim was too intoxicated to legally consent but he seems to think it's fine to have sex with someone who couldnt even stand up.

Even taking aside the rape conviction, he can never been classed as a "role model": he's cheated on his girlfriend and had sex with another woman with someone watching!

Fair play to Jessica Ennis-Hill and the others connected with Sheffield United (ambassadors?) who've take the stance they have.

It's a weird one, I always assumed that he'd just sort of taken advantage of her tbh, which is still bad but it's a grey area. If he stuck it in whilst she was a kip then that's a different story altogether

Unfortunately for him the masses will always bay for blood though.

I haven't followed the whole thing tbh. Was it pretty much nailed on that he raped her? I've only read one or two articles that are sketchy at best.

 

Pretty difficult to say without being in Court throughout.

 

Tried to follow it at the time. It was weird that Clayton McDonald got found not guilty for having sex with the same girl at the same time.

I believe from what I read, she sort of remembered having sex with him, but knew nothing of Evans, who following the act in the way of all innocent parties, exited via the window afterwards.

can't remember how she found out later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R_v_Evans_and_McDonald

Trial

The trial took place at the Crown Court at Caernarfon in April 2012 before Judge Merfyn Hughes QC and a jury. Evans and McDonald admitted to having sex with the woman, but both denied raping her. Counsel for the prosecution, John Philpotts, stated that the victim, a 19-year-old waitress, was too intoxicated to have consented. The court heard that the victim had woken up naked and confused in a double bed with her clothes on the floor and no memory of the incident. Samples taken from the victim at the time showed no alcohol, although the Crown claimed this was due to "elimination". The samples showed traces of cocaine and cannabis, although she denied taking the drugs on the night of the incident. She had drunk two glasses of wine, four double vodkas with lemonade, and a shot of sambuca. As a result, she told police she "felt tipsy but not out of control". The victim claimed to have almost no memory of what happened between leaving a dancing session with friends and waking up the following morning, leading her to believe that her drink had been spiked. The defence stated both men had sex with the woman separately and with her consent, while the prosecution submitted that the pair "targeted" her for sex after she "literally stumbled across their path" and demonstrated herself to be too intoxicated to consent. Two friends of the men were also alleged to have watched and attempted to record the act through a window.

 

Outcome

On 20 April 2012, the jury returned its verdicts. McDonald was acquitted. Evans was convicted of rape and sentenced to five years imprisonment. Judge Merfyn Hughes QC stated in his sentencing remarks that: "The complainant was 19 years of age and was extremely intoxicated. CCTV footage shows, in my view, the extent of her intoxication when she stumbled into your friend. As the jury have found, she was in no condition to have sexual intercourse. When you arrived at the hotel, you must have realised that."

Not sure how that works like.

The lass that was on Newsnight about a month ago opposing this just made me think Ched Evans should be able to do whatever the fuck he wants, she was that wrong with everything she said.

Just to tackle one issue, why the fuck would he be remorseful when he has always maintained his innocence?

It's a difficult issue that I'd usually veer on the side of liberal with but the hysteria with this isn't sitting well with me for some reason.  One of the things that daft lass kept on prattling on about on the telly was "Ched Evans knew when he turned up at that hotel that there was a drunk woman there that he could have sex with".

Erm, so fuck?

He's done his time, football should allow him back in.

But as a club, wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.

https://www.crimeline.info/case/r-v-ched-evans-chedwyn-evans

A thorough summary of the case is provided here. Well worth a read if you want to know what it was about.

The complainant stated that she had no memory of any sexual activity with either of the two men.

How is one bloke a rapist and the other is not?

Course he should be able to work again but I don't really think he should have a right to play football again any more than anyone else convicted of rape should have a right to a particular type of job when they come back out. He'll have to be grateful for whoever is willing to employ him again, whether that's Sheffield United or Tesco.

I wouldn't want him here, that's for sure.