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Starr

Member since
December 2024

201 posts

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Posted Fri August 22, 2025 1:14am
Edited Sun August 31, 2025 11:57pmReport post

Winnie07

Member since
April 2022

120 posts

I am so sorry Starr , I totally agree, there is no real justice or common sense . It's all geared around convictions, ticking boxes and money . We care on this forum but nobody else does - I do so wish you all the best xx

Posted Fri August 22, 2025 7:22amReport post

CornishTea

Member since
August 2019

95 posts

I totally understand, you will survive this, trust me.

If one thing I have learnt through this whole experience is that the justice system is not justice. That solicitors and barristers are not interested. I used to think it was like TV, that the barrister would fight for you, how wrong I was. Ours literally threw my husband under the bus.



xx

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 9:21amReport post

Winnie07

Member since
April 2022

120 posts

Hi Cornish,

yes I totally agree. There is no compassion or humanity with either the police or legal team. If we had the money , there would be no case to defend as it would never have got this far

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 9:55amReport post

Daisy564

Member since
July 2025

7 posts

I can so relate Starr..

Don't give up, keep going..we have to X

I feel the same as you one silly mistake by my 20yr old Son that I know for a fact he didn't understand the repercussions of his actions and is not a threat to anyone I know that , it was an older teenager pic not much younger than himself and his life is ruined.

Im not condoning for one minute his behaviour, but there's a family living near to us (I'm not judging, not in a place to judge anybody) with a girl of the same age who's got a boyfriend older than my son and their expecting a baby - yet my Son looked at an image supposedly and he will be branded a Monster. I'm just done with it all

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 3:37pmReport post

Winnie07

Member since
April 2022

120 posts

Daisy , I totally agree and understand the sense of unfairness you feel - and you too Starr . What gets my goat is the way they get slapped on the SOR and they far reaching effects this has on their life.

Everyone gets tarred with the same brush and that is the public perception unfortunately. They judge without knowing all the facts. The stigma is just devastating

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 4:31pmReport post

26a20

Member since
December 2024

192 posts

Since ending up here one of the things I’ve realised is the complete lack of common sense with regards to ages and sexual offences legislation. I imagine a lot of older teenagers/ young adults get caught out by this. The age of consent to sexual activity in the UK is 16 but to send/receive explicit adult images its 18, why?

Its not logical, a 16/17 year old is rightly or wrongly considered capable of making an informed decision to have sex with anyone 16 upwards but if they send a naked picture to them then they have both committed an offence even though meeting up, seeing each other naked in person and getting down and dirty is perfectly legal.

Also please note I’m not suggesting we should be able to view images of 16/17 year olds just pointing out the ridiculousness of being able to physically meet with a 16+ year old but if you take a picture of it, you’re a sex offender. Personally I’d raise the age of consent to 18 (I know a lot of teenagers are sexually active before this) but I think all of it should have the same age limit.

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 9:42pmReport post

Daisy564

Member since
July 2025

7 posts

I completely agree 26a20..

And as you've said not for one minute am I condoning this but when young adults are having lives ruined and being stigmatised by this for the rest of their lives..being branded a sex offender for looking at an image of an older teen and being treated as a danger to children - then Joe Bloggs across the way at 21yrs of age gets off scott free and is applauded for fathering a child of a 16/17yr old and not an eyebrow is raised then I'm sorry that just doesn't make sense..

I'm 43 now and most of my friends boyfriends were 20 when I was 16/17, it's not right maybe not, as that 3/4yrs makes a huge difference at that age but they weren't treated as hideous criminals, or were they being attacked with pitchforks..nothing was said ever! And most are married now still. You are right 18 should be the legal age of consent In my eyes, if your treated as a child in an image then you should be treated as one in every other department also x

Posted Sun August 24, 2025 10:25pm
Edited Sun August 24, 2025 10:28pmReport post

Holdingthegrenade

Member since
June 2024

271 posts

Just an extra thought.....I totally get where everyone is coming from. But I think the age was set at 18 to prevent/deter online grooming. As others have said when I was a young teen a lot of my friends had much older boyfriends who looking back now probably would be seen as grooming and predatory but there weren't any laws and it was just widely accepted as "the norm".

Posted Thu August 28, 2025 10:19pmReport post

26a20

Member since
December 2024

192 posts

My issue with the laws as they relate to 16 and 17 year olds is they appear to contradict themselves, either these young people are children who need to be protected from the world until they turn 18 when they suddenly become magically capable of dealing with everything or they are competent young adults who are able to make decisions for themselves, trying to make them both is just a mess.

Posted Fri August 29, 2025 6:39pm
Edited Fri August 29, 2025 6:40pmReport post

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