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Bill Cosby - Rapist, or Victim ???

Bill Cosby


  • Total voters
    81
Lots of charges brought against Michael Jackson, too. Nothing stuck, because they all, for the most part, dropped the charges and were paid off.

I only know of one settlement out of court with Cosby though. Are there more?
 
Rape is difficult to prosecute except in egregious cases, especially when evidence hasn't been immediately collected.

And why is Cosby being targeted by 14 women? What's the average rape allegation amount for rich/famous people?

I'm sure there's more to the story but it still means he's the most successful serial rapist in history... one that's not only in the public eye but amazingly famous yet never caught.
 
I'm sure there's more to the story but it still means he's the most successful serial rapist in history... one that's not only in the public eye but amazingly famous yet never caught.

Wasn't there a famous guy who got away with raping people for like 40 years -- some of which were children, the sick, and the elderly? Can't think of his name, but he makes Cosby look like a pauper.
 
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Wasn't there a famous guy who got away with raping people for like 40 years -- some of which were children, the sick, and the elderly? Can't think of his name, but he makes Cosby look like a pauper.

Dunno - but I'd like to see more than just accusations before convicting a man.
 
Dunno - but I'd like to see more than just accusations before convicting a man.

For the record, his name was Jimmy Savile (thanks, Google). He was a beloved figure for decades. From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile#Allegations_of_sexual_abuse

By 19 October 2012, police were pursuing 400 lines of inquiry based on testimony from 200 witnesses via 14 police forces across the UK. They described the alleged abuse as "on an unprecedented scale", and the number of potential victims as "staggering".[115] Investigations, codenamed Operation Yewtree, were opened to identify criminal conduct related to Savile's activities by the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service into why a prosecution had been dropped as unlikely to succeed in 2009.[14][15] By 25 October, police reported the number of possible victims was approaching 300.[11]

On 12 November 2012, the Metropolitan Police announced the scale of sexual allegations reported against Savile was "unprecedented" in Britain: a total of 450 alleged victims had contacted the police in the ten weeks since the investigation was launched. Officers recorded 199 crimes in 17 police force areas in which Savile was a suspect, among them 31 allegations of rape in seven force areas.[116] Analysis of the report showed 82% of those who came forward to report abuse were female and 80% were children or young people at the time of the incidents.[117]

The developing scandal led to inquiries into practices at the BBC and the National Health Service. It was alleged that rumours of Savile's activities had circulated at the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s, but no action had been taken. Savile was trusted with keys and unsupervised access to patients including the mentally and physically disabled at some hospitals.[118][119] The Director-General of the BBC, George Entwistle, apologised for what had happened, and on 16 October 2012 appointed former High Court judge Dame Janet Smith to review the culture and practices of the BBC during the time Savile worked there,[120] and Nick Pollard, a former Sky News executive, was appointed to look at why the Newsnight investigation into Savile's activities was dropped shortly before transmission in December 2011.[120]
 
I only know of one settlement out of court with Cosby though. Are there more?

Don't know. Was just making the point that just because somebody doesn't follow through on charges, doesn't mean that it didn't happen. I used Michael Jackson as an example, because it happened often with him.

All I know is that there were 14 accusations of rape against Cosby. If this were anybody other than somebody famous, I would think you wouldn't be so lenient.
 
Don't know. Was just making the point that just because somebody doesn't follow through on charges, doesn't mean that it didn't happen. I used Michael Jackson as an example, because it happened often with him.

All I know is that there were 14 accusations of rape against Cosby. If this were anybody other than somebody famous, I would think you wouldn't be so lenient.

I don't think I'm being lenient I think I'm being pragmatic in wanting to see evidence before a conviction. Jackson was just.... creepy as he was sleeping with children and paid off a few of them. (Sex was never proven but implied - no evidence). But it is true that Jackson was never charged criminally either.
 
We weren't there so we can't judge.

I'm tempted to say this should be sorted out by the police and the legal system away from the media glare. However on the other hand, any coverage that raises awareness of this complex and sensistive issue can be a good thing. So while I'm kind of torn on how public this should be, what I don't like are salacious "Did he? didn't he?" guessing games.
 
I'm sure there's more to the story but it still means he's the most successful serial rapist in history... one that's not only in the public eye but amazingly famous yet never caught.

Roman Polanski and Woody Allen could probably challenge him on that....
 
I'm surprised that this attitude is coming from a woman. Personally, as a woman, I tend to err on the side of the woman.

Is this foolproof? Of course not. But I'd rather believe several victims, than a single asshole (yes, he's an asshole) who says, "I didn't do it."

You think OJ was innocent, too?

I don't see why it should be surprising to you that a woman would have such an opinion. Women are just as capable of lying and deceiving as anyone else. Considering the industry, its a known fact that women are quite willing to sleep with people who have clout in the business to get an acting role to further their career. If this were another industry where the CEO of Widget Inc. had women accusing him of raping them it would be less doubtful. I also find it troubling that a woman would wait decades before making accusations of a rape taking Cosby to court years later and it was settled out of court because money made the woman drop the lawsuit. Tell me, if you had been raped, would you wait several years to make the claim and then all of a sudden a dollar figure would make it all better? And out of all these victims, not one went to the authorities to report it when it happened? Really? I also find it odd that right before his new sitcom was to roll out, some unknown journalist decided to interview the alleged victims for a salacious story. Was this another wanna be trying to make a name for himself? Sorry but there are too many things that make this a bit fishy in my opinion and I am not about to claim the man is guilty of what he has been accused on hearsay.
 
I find the timing of this suspicious, especially considering political motives that some may have against him. Woman waits 30 years, really?
 
Due process he is innocent till proven guilty, till then I'd to reserve the rest of my
comments
 
I get what you are saying, and I am sympathetic to your argument. However, you wouldn't necessarily hear about such accusations against some average joe because they are not a celebrity, so it goes both ways on that one.

I don't know about that.

It might not be the headline story on CNN for a month straight but rape cases get plenty of press, even if it's just in the local area.
 
Due process he is innocent till proven guilty, till then I'd to reserve the rest of my
comments


This isn't a court of law here? It's a simple question about something in the news.
Commenting just to say "I won't comment" is pretty lame. :roll:
 
Due process he is innocent till proven guilty, till then I'd to reserve the rest of my
comments

That would be 'presumption of innocence', but I'll not comment on that.
 
This is going to be an ugly thing to watch, no matter how it ends up.
 
My question awaits an answer: What is the average amount of rape allegations for a rich person or celebrity? Cosby has 14 allegations. Is that above or below average?
 
My question awaits an answer: What is the average amount of rape allegations for a rich person or celebrity? Cosby has 14 allegations. Is that above or below average?
I have no idea what the answer might be, but I do have a counter-question.

Why is that an important bit of data?

Whatever the average is, each one needs to be examined and a determination made whether it has merit or not, and prosecution pursued if necessary
 
I have no idea what the answer might be, but I do have a counter-question.

Why is that an important bit of data?

Whatever the average is, each one needs to be examined and a determination made whether it has merit or not, and prosecution pursued if necessary

Seriously? :lol: I don't know... if I were in law enforcement and someone came to me and said, "Big shot celebrity raped me!," I would investigate, but in the back of my mind, I'd always be like, "Really? Did he really do this, or is this a chance to get hush money?" But 14 different people? Hell, after 2, I'd be looking at him a lot differently. Even if there was only 1 accusation, I'd still investigate to the best of my ability. But the more people who accuse him, the worse he looks.
 
I'm forced to consider the old adage "where there's smoke, there's fire". But 14 accusations and not one conviction makes him either extremely cautious or very diligent in covering up and paying off. A lot of famous and not so famous men go thru stages of compulsive behavior, though the more famous, usually the more scrutiny. I'd say it's possible but the numbers are probably not completely accurate. It'll also take a lot more evidence than hearsay accusations to indict him.
 
I'm sure there's more to the story but it still means he's the most successful serial rapist in history... one that's not only in the public eye but amazingly famous yet never caught.
We should give him a monicker like the sweatered bedder
 
Seriously? :lol: I don't know... if I were in law enforcement and someone came to me and said, "Big shot celebrity raped me!," I would investigate, but in the back of my mind, I'd always be like, "Really? Did he really do this, or is this a chance to get hush money?" But 14 different people? Hell, after 2, I'd be looking at him a lot differently. Even if there was only 1 accusation, I'd still investigate to the best of my ability. But the more people who accuse him, the worse he looks.

Ayup.

The further that number gets from zero, the higher the probability of guilt.
 
I think the California statute of limitations of six years for rape.
So the vary first question would be, did any of these events occur after after 2008?
There is also a chance, that something that might have normal behavior (by Hollywood standards)
in 1985, might be considered rape in a social context today.
 
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