Steven van de Velde convicted rapist & paedophile competes

[SpookyFrank]

The notion that other athletes, completely clean, who have nothing to do with him, should throw away their Olympic prospects in protest or be culpable in rape, is beyond ridiculous though.

Culpable in the rapist appearing at the Olympics in their team colours, not in the actual rape.

Which I'm fairly certain you knew perfectly well.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

it's an interesting one. so, sex offenders just have to sit at home for the rest of their lives? no attempt for rehabilitation? otherwise, where do you draw the line? 'you're not allowed to be a sportsperson' seems a bit arbitrary.

my main issue is the leniency of the Dutch sentence. I would expect a much longer sentence which would make all of this irrelevant.

Different lines are drawn in Dutch law. In UK law, someone aged under 13 cannot legally consent and I believe there is a strict liability for this, so any sex with a 12-year-old is rape. If the girl had been 13 and not 12, the charge would have been different in the UK. In the Netherlands, that cut-off point is placed at 12, not 13.

 

[pbsmooth]

Different lines are drawn in Dutch law. In UK law, someone aged under 13 cannot legally consent and I believe there is a strict liability for this, so any sex with a 12-year-old is rape. If the girl had been 13 and not 12, the charge would have been different in the UK. In the Netherlands, that cut-off point is placed at 12, not 13.

regardless, no way that this guy would have served 1 year in the UK? the point is the Dutch sentencing is very light

 

[Spymaster]

Culpable in the rapist appearing at the Olympics in their team colours, not in the actual rape.

You say that as if it was any less bollocks than what I originally inferred.

 

[trashpony]

Grooming a child in order to repeatedly rape them should mean you forfeit the right to represent your country.

For every single victim of child sexual abuse, this is a spit in their eye. We don’t care that this has destroyed your life. This guy is good at sport and that’s much more important.

FFS

 

[SpookyFrank]

regardless, no way that this guy would have served 1 year in the UK? the point is the Dutch sentencing is very light

UK policy is to fuck foreign criminals off home as soon as possible. Even, apparently, if they're being sent home to a country where their crime doesn't count as a crime.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

regardless, no way that this guy would have served 1 year in the UK? the point is the Dutch sentencing is very light

No, not regardless. He was sentenced to four years in the UK for the offence as it stands in the UK. It would have been less here if she had been 13.

 

[SpookyFrank]

That's directly sport-related, though. She was cheating and got caught. It's totally different, as is the breaking of any team rules by a current competitor, as in the Japanese smoking incident (which I think is ridiculous, but there it is).

I'm with AnnaKarpik on this. Unless you have a blanket opinion that anyone convicted of certain offences should never be allowed to be rehabilitated, we simply don't have enough information about this particular case to judge it. Certainly don't have enough information to judge his teammates.

Rehabilitated, yes. Allowed to become a public figure, no.

 

[hash tag]

Someone in their wisdom decided they had to keep this rapist away from the Olympic village in special housing. If they don't trust him and he has given reason not to be trusted, he should not be there.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

UK policy is to fuck foreign criminals off home as soon as possible. Even, apparently, if they're being sent home to a country where their crime doesn't count as a crime.

It did count as a crime, but as a different crime, because their strict line below which all sex is rape, no exceptions, is drawn at 12, not 13.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

regardless, no way that this guy would have served 1 year in the UK? the point is the Dutch sentencing is very light

The Dutch system is much more about rehabilitation, counselling, treatment, etc. rather than prison. They were of the opinion that van de Velde was rehabilitated and extremely unlikely to ever offend again.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Rehabilitation is one thing. Letting a convicting paedophilic rapist fulfill his dream by representing your country is quite another

 

[Spymaster]

It’s not that difficult. Just don’t have sex offenders representing your country at the Olympics.

Fair enough, but at the moment there is no such rule at either national or international level.

 

[cesare]

He groomed and fucked a child, twice. Just because two different jurisdictions draw a different arbitrary line for statutory rape doesn't get away from that. And we wonder why VAWG is at such a high.

 

[Spymaster]

Rehabilitation is one thing. Letting a convicting paedophilic rapist fulfill his dream by representing your country is quite another

Agreed. The point of contention here is whether or not other members of the Dutch team bear any level of culpability for him being there.

 

[Sue]

He groomed and fucked a child, twice. Just because two different jurisdictions draw a different arbitrary line for statutory rape doesn't get away from that. And we wonder why VAWG is at such a high.

And in his own words:

'After coming out of jail, he gave an interview to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, and said: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not – really not.”'

IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics

The IOC is facing calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024

www.theguardian.com

That doesn't exactly sound like he's remorseful, does it?

 

[cesare]

And in his own words:

'After coming out of jail, he gave an interview to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, and said: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not – really not.”'

IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics

The IOC is facing calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024

www.theguardian.com

That doesn't exactly sound like he's remorseful, does it?

Not remorseful or rehabilitated, from the looks of it.

 

[Spymaster]

Someone in their wisdom decided they had to keep this rapist away from the Olympic village in special housing. If they don't trust him and he has given reason not to be trusted, he should not be there.

He was kept away in an effort to shield him from the media and possible assault. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of that, it wasn’t because someone thinks he can’t be trusted.

 

[pbsmooth]

Rehabilitation is one thing. Letting a convicting paedophilic rapist fulfill his dream by representing your country is quite another

So you believe the punishment must continue after people are released from jail?

Playing devils advocate but it’s interesting to try and understand the thinking beyond the anger at the crime.

 

[pbsmooth]

The Dutch system is much more about rehabilitation, counselling, treatment, etc. rather than prison. They were of the opinion that van de Velde was rehabilitated and extremely unlikely to ever offend again.

Which I think most on here would agree on for most crimes except it seems for this one. Not sure whether I disagree but clearly something of a double standard.

 

[StoneRoad]

And in his own words:

'After coming out of jail, he gave an interview to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, and said: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not – really not.”'

IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics

The IOC is facing calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024

www.theguardian.com

That doesn't exactly sound like he's remorseful, does it?

no it doesn't.
he needs to read & understand the definitions, especially the relevant UK age for statutory rape. his victim [willing or not] was under that limit at the time of the offences [three] for which the UK courts convicted him.

to use the media phrase, his competing gives terrible optics for the Dutch Olympic team selections.

 

[hash tag]

He was kept away in an effort to shield him from the media and possible assault. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of that, it wasn’t because someone thinks he can’t be trusted.

Are you sure? Do you have a source/link for that. Is that the diplomatic answer?

 

[trashpony]

Which I think most on here would agree on for most crimes except it seems for this one. Not sure whether I disagree but clearly something of a double standard.

There is limited evidence that paedophiles can ever be rehabilitated. For the safety of children, it makes sense to not test that but assume they will remain a risk.

 

[Silas Loom]

Which I think most on here would agree on for most crimes except it seems for this one. Not sure whether I disagree but clearly something of a double standard.

There’s a difference between allowing rehabilitated people to participate in private life (subject to any safeguards attached to sex offenders) and doing so in public life, sports and entertainment. He shouldn’t be on telly.

 

[AnnaKarpik]

You're really going with 'they didn't know' then?

Well, I didn't know about him despite your claim that it was common knowledge in the UK and I see no reason to suppose they did for the reasons I gave. I'm not going to keep repeating myself.

 

[Spymaster]

Are you sure? Do you have a source/link for that. Is that the diplomatic answer?

That’s what was reported. Do you seriously think that if it was felt that he was a danger, he’d be there?

No doubt some fucking idiot will say yes.

 

[pbsmooth]

There is limited evidence that paedophiles can ever be rehabilitated. For the safety of children, it makes sense to not test that but assume they will remain a risk.

I guess that's what I was ultimately wondering. Really hard to understand this whole situation, then.

 

[Aladdin]

He was kept away in an effort to shield him from the media and possible assault. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of that, it wasn’t because someone thinks he can’t be trusted.

So where did they house him?.

I bet the French neighbours who might have young kids / faughters won't be too happy.

It's ridiculous and very wrong that he is there...at all.

He should not have gone.. And he should have had the cop to have stood down himself. Obviously he doesn't believe he did anything wrong.

 

[Aladdin]

There’s a difference between allowing rehabilitated people to participate in private life (subject to any safeguards attached to sex offenders) and doing so in public life, sports and entertainment. He shouldn’t be on telly.

Yep. 100% correct .

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Obviously he doesn't believe he did anything wrong.

I don't think that's obvious, not from what I've seen reported. He clearly does not consider himself to be a paedophile, but that's not quite the same as thinking he did nothing wrong.