There are some huge problems with the way rape is perceived – many victims won't go to the police because they feel that their behaviour was to blame, or because, once there, they just won't be believed. And it's taken until now for Judy Finnigan, the Loose Women panellist who's caused controversy by defending Ched Evans, the footballer who is currently serving a sentence for raping a woman, to realise this.
Evans was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after raping a 19-year-old who was 'too drunk to consent' in 2011. However, as he nears the end of half of his sentence, eager Sheffield United supporters want him back to the club. This has caused 140,000 people to sign a petition demanding he not be reinstated.
That's the context behind the topic of conversation on yesterday's Loose Women when Judy Finnegan (her of Richard & Judy fame) made these comments:
'He’s served his time. The rape – and I am not, please, by any means minimising any kind of rape – but the rape was not violent. He didn’t cause any bodily harm to the person. It was unpleasant, in a hotel room, I believe, and she was – she had far too much to drink. And you know, that is reprehensible, but he has been convicted and he has served his time.”
Annoyingly, apparently we have to spell it out - sex without consent is rape, and rape is a violent act of intrusion. Bodily harm is always caused by rape because it dehumanises the victim's body. Rape could happen on the finest Egyptian cotton sheets or down a car park's stairwell and still be equally horrifying.
And we'll remind everyone again, the judge in the case said the girl was 'too drunk to consent.' As for Ched Evans serving his time? Well, some people don't think he has.
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While Ched has his defenders – his girlfriend, who says all he did was 'cheat' on her with the girl, maintains his innocence, and of course the Sheffield United Supporters' Club saying they'd 'regret' not letting him play again – there are those 140,000 who have effectively co-signed the following statement: 'I am horrified at potential message that Evans' reinstatement at the same club would send about the consequences of committing the crime of rape.'
Back when the petition only had 60,000 signatories, we spoke to it's creator, Jean Hatchet. She told The Debrief that as part of rehabilitation, offenders who have served their time are encouraged to return to their previous careers, so that they have some sense of normality, but insisted that not only would Evans be returning to an eye-watering salary but: 'Evans has not served his time. He's served half of it.’
Plus, he's spent a lot of that time appealing his case, maintaining his innocence: ‘Yes he should be rehabilitated. For that rehabilitation to be effective there should be an acknowledgement of his wrongdoing.’
As for Judy? She's apologised, reports The Guardian: 'I absolutely wasn’t suggesting that rape was anything other than a horrendous crime and, as I said on the programme, I was in no way attempting to minimise the terrible ordeal that any woman suffers as a result. The point I was attempting to raise as part of the debate was what should happen to someone after they have committed a crime and served their time. I apologise unreservedly for any offence that I may have caused as a result of the wording I used.'
However, it's made front-page news – we hope it's because she's famous, and not because she's a woman, because as right-on as it might be for every single paper to be condemning her, or highlighting the furore she caused, it isn't entirely fair to go after one woman for the stupid comments she's made when we're sure this issue has got people of both sexes defending Evans in increasingly ridiculous ways. And that's surely the most depressing part of this whole story?
BTW, if you want to sign the petition to pressure Sheffield United not to reinstate Ched, you can add your name here.
Interested in this? Then you might also want to read:
'My Rapist Added Me On Facebook': The Truth About Sexual Assault At Oxford University
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
Pictures: Getty, Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.