Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case (punishment, sex)

[Buttercup]

By AARON BEARD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 32 minutes ago

DURHAM, N.C. - The district attorney dropped rape charges Friday against the three Duke University lacrosse players after the stripper who accused them changed her story again. But the men still face kidnapping and sex charges that could bring more than 30 years in prison.

A lawyer for one of the athletes bitterly demanded that District Attorney Mike Nifong drop the remaining counts, accusing him of offering shifting theories of the crime in an attempt to win the case at any cost.

"It's now the shifting sands again, the shifting factual theory," defense attorney Joseph Cheshire said. He added: "It is the ethical duty of a district attorney not to win a case, not to prosecute all cases, but to see that justice is done."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061223/.../duke_lacrosse



What legal recourse do the players have against these false charges?

Should the false accuser do jail time?

Would swift punishment of a false charges help future rape victims?

[Flappycat]

Don't be so quick to jump on the stripper. She may have communication difficulty. A thirty year sentence is excessive, though.

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by Flappycat

Don't be so quick to jump on the stripper. She may have communication difficulty.

Yeah, it's called lying.

A thirty year sentence is excessive, though.

I'm assuming you think she should do jail time. Damn straight she should. And also compensate the police departments for the huge load of money it must have cost. And pay compensatory damages to the dudes. And the court costs.......

[Terrywoodenpic]

She too is innocent till proved Guilty.
They are all equally capable of lying.
What they do for a living or their fame should not be a factor in the trial.

[evearael]

If these men are rapists, they need to be convicted and serve the appropriate amount of time.

If these men are innocent, they need to be cleared of all charges. They may be able to charge the woman with libel. To be falsely accused of such a heinous crime is a sort of victimization in itself.

As someone who's been repeatedly raped by a monster who walks free today and has preyed again, I ferverently desire to see justice done. If this woman is lying about rape, I have the same utter contempt for her as I do for all sexual predators because it is the sheer quantity of false cases clogging the justice system, and the judges are aware of how many false charges are brought, that make it difficult to impossible to put the real predators behind bars.

[Flappycat]

They're not predators. They're college kids.

[GeneCosta]

I ferverently desire to see justice done. If this woman is lying about rape, I have the same utter contempt for her as I do for all sexual predators because it is the sheer quantity of false cases clogging the justice system, and the judges are aware of how many false charges are brought, that make it difficult to impossible to put the real predators behind bars.

As well as it could ruin these young kids lives. Even if not charged, communities look differently at people who have been brought to court over high-profile cases.

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by Terrywoodenpic

She too is innocent till proved Guilty.
They are all equally capable of lying.
What they do for a living or their fame should not be a factor in the trial.

Sorry, I should have provided more information about the case. I figured most Americans were familiar with the event as it's been widely broadcast for months. Of course foreigners probably haven't heard of it.

The woman accuser had physical testing done after the alleged rape which supposedly occurred at a party. Semen was found from several men and analyzed. It matched none the of students charged in the rape, hence the dropped charges. Witnesses said nothing happened. They believed her soley. I'm assuming the rest of the charges will be dropped shortly.

What should happen to this woman?

[GeneCosta]

She should be tried by the city, and if found guilty, locked up until she realizes how "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" applies to real life.

A civil case would be unfair to the students. They shouldn't have to pay a cent.

[Flappycat]

The woman intended to bring their lives to ruin for a quick buck. She has no morals at all. Lock her up, and melt the key. There is no place for such people in this society. They are wasteful.