Aaron
Wednesday 16th January 2008 5:21pm [Edited]
Royal Berkshire
69,918 posts
Quote: James Williams @ January 16, 2008, 11:47 AM
Mmm. I suppose it would be difficult for Langham to file anything for libel in the circumstances.
If I was him, I'm not sure that I would bother. I mean, would it be worth it? As far as I'm aware there was nothing in his charges nor conviction of having paid for said images, video, whatever it was (although I could be wrong?), in which case he's got nothing to 'clear' on his record, as 'twere, just his reputation. And seriously, would it make the slightest bit of difference to good old Joe-public?
Quote: James Williams @ January 16, 2008, 11:47 AM
Jesus, it would be so easy for someone with an interest in that sort of thing to click on a few links and access free content. Very different to 'going out and sticking your cock in a child'. Was nearly a year in prison too little or too much punishment for the crime?
I can't really tell if you're being sincere or sarcastic here, but in answer to the question, I think that it was pretty fair overall. I'm not certain of his release conditions (if any), but I'd like to know/think/see him doing a bit of community service, charity work etc.
Quote: James Williams @ January 16, 2008, 11:47 AM
And are there any attempts to shut these sites down? Would it be too difficult?
Well the way he was speaking leads me to think that this wasn't on the web. But assuming it was - and of course there is no doubt paedophilic content on the web - then shutting sites down is a tricky business. I won't bore you with details, but it would rely on the sites being run from computers based in countries with strong laws regarding this kind of thing.
Quote: James Williams @ January 16, 2008, 11:47 AM
How did they know to knock on Langham's door? Are they using these sites like honeytraps?
That's something I was wondering. Based on the method I interpret him as having used in order to access this content, I can only assume that it was due to tracking by his ISP. A fairly simple procedure, if they know what they're looking for.
Quote: James Williams @ January 16, 2008, 11:47 AM
Here's some worrying research (from Wiki):
*snip*
Twenty-one percent?!?! That can't be right.
As much as we'd like to think to ourselves that it is significantly lower, I can't say I'm too surprised. IMO - highly argued against previously, but I stick by it - being attracted to children is just the same as any other fetish or fantasy. Some people like being tied up and whipped. Some people like the idea of sex with "grannies". Some like playing with food. (And some people even like gingers! ) Some like 'scat' games, and others being dominated. I daresay that for a lot of those, people don't exactly choose to be turned on by, but they just are, for whatever reason. It's a concept that we have in our society that this is wrong. I'm sure we've all read stories of 12 year old girls in India, Pakistan and the like being forced into arranged marriages with 35 year olds and what-have-you. It's just something that is acceptable in their society, but not in ours. Really - and I'll probably be blasted for making such a "comparison" - it's little different to being gay or straight (one could actually argue further to the opposite I suppose, what with the whole procreation thing, but anyway). You can't help if you're attracted to people of the opposite sex, or of the same sex. You just are. And in our society it is - IMO quite rightly - increasingly acceptable to be homosexual. But in others, it couldn't get much worse. Intriguingly, it's probably the same kind of societies which find marrying off 12 year olds acceptable, but that's a whole different discussion again.
So in summary, my point there is that we really can't help who we're attracted to and what turns us on. People like all sorts of things, to various levels of acceptability in different socities. I don't think that we should criticise or target people who find children attractive unless, of course, they actually follow those instincts and fantasies through to actions, be it watching videos, viewing images, or committing the acts themselves. In fact, I'm certain that in future, we as a society will be much more enlightened as to such mentality, in a similar way to how we quite rightly no longer stigmatise or lock up people for being gay. (Obviously there's a bit of work still to do on that front, but you get the point.)
Now, who wants to have a go at me first?