Can somebody help me with this please?!?!?!?!

[JP7887]

Hi, i need some information regarding this situation.

Here is a summary :

Recently a friend of mine found his girlfriend being raped by one of his friends in his own apartment,
as soon as the man was caught he left the scene, my friend, after talking to his partner to find out the details,
found that this had happened previously within the same week, but she was afraid to tell him because she feared that
his reaction would get him into trouble (she assumed that he would look for the man and attempt to harm him in some way)
she also didnt want to involve the police, because they live in quite a close-knit community the chances were that everybody
would know within hours if she did, that she had been raped.

My friend at first did not know whether he should believe her, she told him that the man hurt her during the assualt and had left
her bruised, she showed him her vagina and sure enough there was bruising in the area, he immediately took her to her GP, who further
confirmed his fears, that the bruising was consistent with the common signs of rape and/or forced penetration.
Her GP made a report and consulted her to contact the police immediately, obviously she refused to get the police involved due
to the reasons i explained earlier.

A week has passed since the second assualt took place and today my friend was walking to my house to visit, on the way to my house his mind wandered
and he ended up finding himself outise the rapist's house. When he realised where he was, he felt that he should confront the man, he knocked on
the man's door and shouted for the man to come out of his house, the man then came out of his house and a fight ensued.
During the fight a neighbour of the man came out of his house and hit my friend repeatedly with a metal baseball bat, which ended the fighting.
My friend walked away from the house and went to his mother's house to get his head around what had just happened.
After a while he returned home explaining to his girlfriend what had happened. Shortly after arriving at his apartment, the police arrived
and took him into custody.


NOTES *

*Previously, about 3 days ago, my friend had been on his way to my house and began daydreaming, thinking about what he had witnessed, before he
knew it, he was outside the mans house, he came to his senses when realising where he was and turned and walked back and up the road to my house.

*My house is situated only a few short roads from the man's house and me and the man live in a different area to my friend. (about a mile away).
(I dont know if this information has any legal relevance but i personally feel that it is worth taking into account.)

*The fight may have resulted in the rapist having an ear torn and perhaps some cranial damage. My friend has cuts and bruising to his face
from the man and so far unknown damage to his back and ribs (though there is bruising) from the neighbour with the bat.



What i need to know is:

Is there anybody with the legal knowledge to help me understand this situation from a legal point of view? or could anybody refer me to any similar case files and their respective outcomes?
Absolutely any information regarding this situation is welcome i just need to get an understanding of any and every possible outcome, and
understand the legal position that my friend is in.

Thank you in advance for your answers and/or any information that i can use.

[sara3]

I think your friend's legal representative will advise him.

[vallaw]

Why?

[Eddie-R]

You should ask the legal representative.

[boxtops]

This is an extraordinary story, why any woman wouldn't report rape (even in a small community) is beyond me.

[sandyRoe]

"Daydreaming" and "mind wandering". Is your friend, perhaps, a slice short of a loaf?

[sara3]

me too, boxy.. me too.

story being the operative word.

[boxtops]

It's a very long post for a first post. It may be a long night.

[sandyRoe]

She could have the misfortune to live in a community that takes its honour seriously. Perhaps her father might do her harm in order to preserve the family honour.

[sara3]

I feel the OP would have mentioned this, Sandy.. everything else is there.

[boxtops]

Sandy, I get your drift, but there is no mention of any cultural background issues in this tale.

[DaisyNonna]

No

[sandyRoe]

I agree. Whatever else this is, it isn't an ethnic story.

[boxtops]

I don't think I'd go to my mother's house if I'd inflicted cranial damage on someone - but then I don't have acquaintances who have neighbours who'd hit a stranger with a baseball bat (as far as I know).

[cassa333]

If your friend walked in on his girlfriend being raped and the culprit ran off!!! Did he not give chase and beat the crap out of him then?

The alleged rapeist can say it was consnsual, rough perhaps but consensual non the less as it happened twice within a week.

Unless he can come up with other evidence etc then he will be seen as the scorned boyfriend beating up his girlfriends lover!!!

[emmie]

ony a legal expert would be able to advise, but i don't understand this story, no woman would go through the ordeal without reporting it to the police, and it to happen again, sorry don't buy it.

[redcrx]

i find it hard to believe that a woman whos scared that the everyone would know if she told the police, would happily go and show a GP her injuries and that a GP would say it was rape. What use would that be anyway?

[bednobs]

what has the person been arrested for? (that'll give some indication of the severity) What injuries does the victim actually have? That'll also give an indication of the severity. You don't give an indication of whether the friend was remanded or not
As above, why do YOU need to know every single permutation and possible outcome - it's nothing to do with you. He will have legal counsel who will advise him

[pink-kittens]

em10, I have to completely disagree with you
The estimated amount of women who are raped but do not report it is beyond figures - no one can put an estimate on it but it is said to run into 1000's

I am struggling to believe that any man, however, can walk in on his GF being raped and not beat the living crap out of the assailant.
The fat the boyfy, allegedly, went to the alleged rapists house well after the event will be seen as pre-meditated I would imagine
I smell something not quite right here - and not necessarily with the op

[Nini74]

something here doesn't add up... she'd been raped by this guy earlier in the week and yet allowed herself to be in the flat alone with him within a matter of days? she won't report it to the Police but will go to the doctor? mind wandering or not, you don't end up at the wrong house unless you intended to go there. tell your friend to speak to his solicitor,but i'd be careful how involved i got in the whole thing if i were you. how close a community is it when this guy's neighbour comes out with a baseball bat? does he know your friend?