Ian Watkins/Lostprophets trial starts tomorrow

I thought Townshend had proven to Police that he'd been writing about child pornography, and thus that he was merely researching it? Did he not hand himself in, and his PC, of which they found no downloaded images?

I agree, though. Bit of a strange one. But I wouldn't class that - or George trawling for bum sex - in the same way I do a bloke attempting to rape a one year old child. Or the stuff Paul Gadd was up to.


As for your drug use remark, I think a lot of BBS users have 'used' drugs at some point. Their postings on here are great evidence of it.

(me included)

 

No motive. Just don't think you can compare what he was cautioned with, with what Watkins has just pleaded guilty to.

 

Come on Scoff. George Michael liked to go out shagging. Pretty much the same as all of us. The lewd act was when the Police entrapped him in the bogs in Los Angeles. "Fancy a shag George? Yup. Right, you're nicked." Only difference between him and many of us (not all of us, there must be some gay people use this board) is that he liked shagging blokes. You can't lump him in with a bunch of paedophiles.

 

You are right and I've spent the last ten minutes working out how to edit my original post to make it clear that GM was not involved with kids. He does however have an arrest for a sexual offence, which is probably not the best image to put out at a show with a global audience.

 

I used to go out looking for a shag regularly. I have engaged in lewd acts in public places. Taken drugs too. I should be hung.

 

I really don't understand how you can lump George Michael in with what's going on at the minute, all he did is go out looking for sex with other consenting adults.

 

I had to stop reading it mate,

 

Such a terrible story, hope the f'cker gets his throat slashed where he's going.

 

I don't know about that. I certainly wouldn't compare them as being as bad as each other, which is what I think you mean, as Watkins's crime is absolutely disgusting, but you can't say there's no comparison at all, as it is all part of the same sorry picture. Certain types of child abuse wouldn't be so widespread if there wasn't a market for the images and the market is driven by people willing to pay for it. So as long as there are people willing to pay to view the images there will be people willing to commit, or force others to commit, the crimes. So whereas Watkins is guilty of committing the crimes himself, Townshend and people like him are guilty of encouraging others to do so. So, not a comparison of like to like crimes, but certainly a comparison with regard to the ultimate outcome of their actions.

 

And me. It was a comment on their appearance at the Olympic rather than trying to compare their crimes (and all of them are/were sexual offences).

If he did the same actions now, Townshend would have an automatic prison sentence and conviction - there is no defence to viewing that kind of porn in the new law - in fact, technically if you accidently see and report child abuse pictures you have also broken the law and their is no defence to it. He did however, spend time on the sex offenders register as a result. Which should have stopped him appearing as the headline act on a global event like the Olympic closing ceremony.

I agree though that both of those are just a shadow of what Watkins has admitted to.

 

You sick basterd.



Fancy a bum?

 

I still do when I've a chance

 

I would too if I could afford it/wasn't married/hadn't turned in to a boring lovely person.

 

Townshend's comments after the event and the police's aren't quite the same. They don't put people they think are completely innocent on the sex offender's register!

I'm a trained paediatric nurse and I did a post-registration course on child abuse and neglect. Part of this was to train us how to spot the signs and it was a pretty miserable, but important for people in our position, subject to be discussing. At no point though did I or any of my colleagues on the course think that it would help our research to pay to access websites run by paedophiles. Honestly, using that excuse ("I'm researching for a book") would be laughable if it wasn't such a horrible and serious matter.

The drugs one is a good analogy though. We get lots of people who won't use certain shops because of their exploitation of third world workers, or won't eat certain foods because of what might be in them and so forth, but yet they're quite happy to roll a joint with the dope they bought off the bloke at Camden market. It's only dope right, the harmless drug of choice for gentle hippies everywhere. And yet, they're quite happy to bury their head in the sand as to where that dope came from and what other crimes are being carried out by the providers of said dope - arms trafficking, people trafficking, etc, and it is every drug enforcement agency's opinion that those three areas of crime are intrinsically linked. Workers in the drugs trade and related industries are treated much worse than those in Philip Green's sweatshops, with 70,000 deaths in Mexico's recent drug wars alone. Best not to think about that though!

...we're all a happy bunch today aren't we!

 

Well I hope they slash him once every day then just to keep him in permanent pain. But if they did dispose of him now then at least it would save the tax payer some money on feeding him.

 

Can't see that happening w/d not with the feking dimwits in wigs prancing about in our courtrooms baby Ps mother who played video games while her son was being tortured is new enjoying freedom 5/6 years on

 

This will sound strange but one person I feel sorry for who won't get thought of is Watkins's Mother. I'm sure all our Mothers look back on the time when we were little and look back with fondness - she can't do that. The son she thought she knew is gone forever.

My mate works for CPS and reckons about ten years. Could be out in five or six.

 

I feel the same way. I just cannot begin to understand a man that wants to do anything like this. Sick beyond belief.