ChatterBank0 min ago
A Lesson Not Learnt
Jeremy Forrest mouthing I LOVE YOU in court to the underage pupil he had an affair and absconded to France with shows he either doesn't appreciate what he's done wrong or doesn't care. So IMO he deserves a very long sentence until at the very least he gets it into his thick head why such a relationship is wrong. The fact that the girl apparently responded the same way, also apologising and pledging to wait til he's free is not such a concern as she is an infatuated child. By the time Forrest gets out she may well have moved on, though if she is allowed to visit him in jail that will perpetuate an illicit romance for the Media. I've also been disturbed by glowing references Forrests fellow teachers gave to help his case, which surely condone his actions and therefore also make those teachers unsuitable for their jobs. Surely Forrest should never be allowed anywhere near a school again. what do you think?
Answers
All those trying to mitigate Forrest's actions by blaming the parenting, the school, anyone else or any organisation are shooting themselves in the foot! In doing so they admit this man's grotesque guilt, and they should applaud the court's findings. For an adult man, teacher or not, to "fall in love" with a 14-15 year-old girl is a danger to society if that...
20:05 Fri 21st Jun 2013
I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with baz. Doesn't seem to me that this is a case of paedophilia at all. Just two people who have become obsessed with each other. Both of them seem to have had personal problems so I'm not convinced that their love for each other will last, but if he weren't her teacher it may not have been so much of an issue. Ultimately it's all about trust, and his breaking of a professional trust that teachers will keep their distance.
Opinion seems to come down on one of two sides - this is a genuine relationship, or, this man abused his position of trust.
My stance is firmly in the latter camp.
In order for this relationship to have progressed beyond simple flirtation by the pupil, this man had to abandon the trust put in him by her parents to offer her sound guidance and support through the nightmare that is modern adolesence.
The fact that he took her to France with obviously no forward planning what ever proves his own level of immaturity - to imagine that if they ran away they could live happily ever after.
Part of teaching children adult behaviour is showing them that actions have consequences. In unformed and developing mimds, there is an excuse for mot seeing very much further than tomorrow. In the mind of a responsible adult, there is no such excuse, and this man has shown himself to be neither responsible, nor an adult.
This man has allowed an infatuation to become pseudo-reality, and taking an underage girl abroad with parental consent is a law of which he should have been aware.
It is apparent that he also has the mind of a fifteen-year-old, and will hopefully spend his time in custody catching up to a level of maturity commensurate with his age and profession.
My stance is firmly in the latter camp.
In order for this relationship to have progressed beyond simple flirtation by the pupil, this man had to abandon the trust put in him by her parents to offer her sound guidance and support through the nightmare that is modern adolesence.
The fact that he took her to France with obviously no forward planning what ever proves his own level of immaturity - to imagine that if they ran away they could live happily ever after.
Part of teaching children adult behaviour is showing them that actions have consequences. In unformed and developing mimds, there is an excuse for mot seeing very much further than tomorrow. In the mind of a responsible adult, there is no such excuse, and this man has shown himself to be neither responsible, nor an adult.
This man has allowed an infatuation to become pseudo-reality, and taking an underage girl abroad with parental consent is a law of which he should have been aware.
It is apparent that he also has the mind of a fifteen-year-old, and will hopefully spend his time in custody catching up to a level of maturity commensurate with his age and profession.
rockyracoon....
Richard Barton, prosecuting, said Forrest’s actions were an abuse of trust and that he could be labelled a “paedophile” who had groomed the vulnerable teenager.
He said to the jury: “That is not an inappropriate label for him. It is about his desires to have that young sexual flesh, to satisfy his own carnal lusts.”
Mr Barton continued: “You may feel it had nothing to do with her, it was to do with him, with his desires. You may feel he is a man who is flattered by the attention of very young vulnerable girls.”
He continued: “What is it that Jeremy Forrest finds attractive about young-looking vulnerable women?
“There is a word for it, it’s called grooming - being caring, being kind, being close, gaining confidence, gaining the trust of that person and then you can do what you want to do with them.”
As I said, predatory
Richard Barton, prosecuting, said Forrest’s actions were an abuse of trust and that he could be labelled a “paedophile” who had groomed the vulnerable teenager.
He said to the jury: “That is not an inappropriate label for him. It is about his desires to have that young sexual flesh, to satisfy his own carnal lusts.”
Mr Barton continued: “You may feel it had nothing to do with her, it was to do with him, with his desires. You may feel he is a man who is flattered by the attention of very young vulnerable girls.”
He continued: “What is it that Jeremy Forrest finds attractive about young-looking vulnerable women?
“There is a word for it, it’s called grooming - being caring, being kind, being close, gaining confidence, gaining the trust of that person and then you can do what you want to do with them.”
As I said, predatory
The maximum is 7 years (Child Abduction Act 1984 s2 and s4 ).
The reference to paedophile was in prosecuting counsel's closing speech, when it was suggested that the behaviour was like that of a paedophile grooming a child. It could have been better expressed; it came across as saying that the man was a paedophile, not a term used in English law but taken as meaning one whose sexual interest is in pre-pubertal chilidren.
The reference to paedophile was in prosecuting counsel's closing speech, when it was suggested that the behaviour was like that of a paedophile grooming a child. It could have been better expressed; it came across as saying that the man was a paedophile, not a term used in English law but taken as meaning one whose sexual interest is in pre-pubertal chilidren.
