As the hype around the Belfast rugby rape trial begins to dissipate into the distance, the protests and rally’s come to a close and the social media commentators move on to the next campaign, victims and survivors across Northern Ireland and beyond continue to live with the very real effects sexual violence has on their lives.
The cries of anger, frustration and shock from the streets and the pages and profiles across the social network may be still ringing in our ears this week but I wonder, will the voices be as loud next week and the statuses be as well shared and celebrated the week after.
Probably not. That’s how it works. A big case, a celebrity, a media frenzy and some good old noisy outrage and the nation jumps to its feet in horror, dismay and disgust.
In this case the four defendants were found unanimously not-guilty. Does anyone remember the last time they read in a newspaper or online site about the conviction or acquittal of an alleged rapist or abuser in the last year? Probably not. No one shouted from the rooftops #IBelieveHer when those victims and survivors stood in the dock by themselves with no media frenzy, no one to care and no one to be outraged.
With this case it wasn’t necessarily the rape or sexual assault charges that created the intrigue and curiosity. It was the insight into the mind of a group of adult men who thought no one on the outside was listening. A group of men our friends and colleagues adulated and our children looked up to.
What was interesting about this case is that most people had decided whose side they were on long before any evidence was presented. Most people had decided to either back the anonymous complainant or the four accused “rugby heroes”.
It was hard to believe it was ever going to be a fair fight in court, but the general consensus was that there must have been good reason for the PPS to bring it to court in the first place.
Interestingly, since the case ended and the four men accused were acquitted I’ve had a lengthy conversations with a retired rape crisis counsellor who revealed to me that what surprised her most of all with the case was the fact that it got to court at all.
“In all my years accompanying women to the police and court I have to say I’ve encountered many cases that had better evidence and, in my opinion, were more likely to result in a conviction than this one. None of these cases made it to the courtroom” she said.
As uncomfortable as it is to ask, it still begs the question “why did this case make it?” Many on the defence side have suggested it was because of the accused’s “celebrity status” and some have even commented that their perceive social class may also be something to do with it.
Ironically, it’s both these things that supporters of the complainant say secured an acquittal.
The ins and outs of the trial have been laboured to death, the evidence, the people, the jury deliberations and the behaviour of the legal teams.
But one element of the trial that will leave a bad taste in most people’s mouths for a long time to come is the private WhatsApp chat messages between the players. There’s no need to go over old ground, by now most people will have had sight of the transcripts which reveal language such as “Belfast Sluts” and comments around “spit roasting” the complainant.
Regardless of your view on the outcome of the case most people cannot fathom how any group of men could speak in such a derogatory manner about women they had spent time with just hours earlier. It’s not a case of harmless banter or typical “laddish” behaviour, the comments and tone of the messages were deplorable.
Over the course of the last week I’ve asked people to sit back and think about how they would feel if their son, brother, husband, father or other male in their life spoke about a woman they knew in this manner.
Now ask yourself, in spite of the verdict, should these men be allowed to once again become icons and idols for our young people to look up to? They may have been found “not guilty” of a crime but it doesn’t take away from the undisputed truths of the case…for example the drinking to excess (more than just a few drinks over the limit) and the disgusting WhatsApp messages.
These men may be not guilty of the rape and other charges but they are certainly not the upstanding, respectable members of society their barristers were trying to portray (with the exception of one who I believe deep down genuinely cared for the girl’s welfare). How can we sit back and be satisfied that they may be reinstated as sporting heroes our young men and women will look up to?