To the #I believe her crowd.
The decision has led to huge demonstrations in Belfast, Londonderry, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dublin and London, with protesters marching under placards proclaiming #ibelieveher.
Were you in court? Did you hear all of the evidence? Okay two questions, but unless these people were in court and did hear all of the evidence, they are in no position to come to a conclusion – that’s why the jury is there. And, clearly, the jury did not believe her.
Still, nothing like a bit of mob rule, eh? And locking up innocents just in case – that’s all okay as well? That’s why we have trial by jury and long may it continue.
They can’t accept that a bloke wasnt a rapist.
It’s a kind pf cognitive dissonance.
And as you say it’s an unpleasant and dangerous tendency.
Its only a matter of time before an innocnet man released after a high profile trial gets beaten up or worse, killed by an angry mob of twatters.
One of those stories that makes me remourn the death of the Raccoon. *waves to that nice Mr Evans*
Quite so – Anna was a phenomenon.
A juror posted a comment and now she, I believe from her name it is a woman, may be in contempt of court. It may be a good thing in general that jurors should not comment but because of the uninformed campaign on Twitter I would like to know what she had to say.
She may have explained why the jury reached its verdict: she may have said that she felt pressured to agree to a unanimous verdict.
I don’t know because she has asked for her comment to be removed.
I have not read how long the jury was out but that surely gives some idea of how finely the decision was based.
According to the ‘Mail’ article I linked to, it was indeed the former, and that’s why she’s in trouble. Jurors are specifically enjoined NOT to reveal how a verdict was reached.
And we now have today’s bete noire – social media – to help muddy the waters.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5562007/Juror-rugby-rape-trial-faces-investigation-online-comments-protests-planned.html
Nothing is new, though. In 1688 when James III was born, pamphleteers spread rumours that the child was smuggled into the royal bedchambers in a warming pan. The crowd (the London mob was a phenomenon feared at the time) was whipped up into such a frenzy, James II fled the country with his wife and child. So what is new here?