She was asking for it...

[MrBishop]

...

A 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and beaten in a Montreal park before escaping by jumping into the freezing water of the St. Lawrence River is speaking out about her ordeal.

"They assaulted me, and assaulted me again. Just like animals," she said.

It started last week when the two 18-year-old men, only one of whom the girl knew, allegedly went to her home and convinced her to go for a late night car ride.

They made their way to the park, where the girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of the men. Desperate to escape, she jumped naked into the icy waters of the St. Lawrence River and tried swimming to a tiny island a short distance from shore.

But, she was lured back to the banks of the river by the promise she would be driven home.

"That's when they began beating her with a rock... They tried to strangle her, then drown her," said Const. Roland McInnis.

The girl then escaped and ran, still naked, three kilometres down a road, trying to wave down passing cars. No one stopped.

"She was frozen stiff by the time I saw her," said Guy Longtin, who called police.

The story has been big news in Montreal for the past week and police say the coverage led a 12-year-old and 13-year-old to come forward with allegations against one of the suspects.

The case of the 14-year-old has prompted such outrage in Montreal that one resident took out a newspaper ad asking people to open their hearts and wallets. Dozens of Montrealers have answered the call and pledged thousands of dollars to help the girl and her family.

Frederic Dompierre and Steve Lapointe face charges of forcible confinement, sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, attempted murder, armed assault and aggravated assault.

They were remanded in custody because one of the men faces more rape charges in two unrelated cases. They will have a bail hearing on Dec. 18.

These are the basics of the case.

“Lors de son plaidoyer, l’avocate (Ewwwwww) de Dompierre, Me Lynda Bureau, a fait sursauter les personnes présentes dans la salle d’audience en affirmant que la victime était l’artisan de son propre malheur.

Selon elle, la victime avait le choix de refuser l’invitation de Frédéric Dompierre et de son complice le soir du 24 novembre. Elle ajoute que celle-ci n’a pas respecté le couvre-feu de ses parents et a fait preuve de négligence.“​

This was the defence lawyer's choice of defence. For those who don't understand french, it basically says
"...the victim was the author of her own misadventure. The victim had the choice to refuse the invitation of Frédéric Dompierre and his accomplice the night of November 24th. She added that the victim did not respect her parent's curfew and was negligent."

So... a 14 year old girl is lured to a park by two men, repeatedly raped, beaten on the head with a rock, forced to escape by swimming naked to a small island (in November) and then finally escaped by foot (naked, wet and bleeding) to a highway where she hailed a passing car for help.

Yup...she asked for it alright.

**The defence lawyer is a woman, who's obviously never heard of rape before and must've thought that it was all good clean fun. **

So much for the support of rape victims and the semblance of protection for those who come forward to report their rapes. At least the lawyer didn't bring up any past sexual contact which the victim had had. Oops...forgot, the girl was a virgin, so she couldn't be attacked in this way, or I'm sure that she would've been.

Source
​

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

No doubt she is a crime victim.

No doubt she deserves justice.

No doubt she will need counseling.

No doubt this was a traumatic event.

BUT...

The case of the 14-year-old has prompted such outrage in Montreal that one resident took out a newspaper ad asking people to open their hearts and wallets. Dozens of Montrealers have answered the call and pledged thousands of dollars to help the girl and her family.

Is this a charity case? Are we now to start a fundraising drive for every crime victim? Is there some reason her ordeal is tantamount to a donation drive?

 

[MrBishop]

Is this a charity case? Are we now to start a fundraising drive for every crime victim? Is there some reason her ordeal is tantamount to a donation drive?

It's human nature...people feel horrible for an event, they feel helpless because they obviously weren't there to help, so they do what they can to alleviate their own displaced anger and helplesness. It's the same with post 9/11 and post-Katrina donations and, to a lesser degree, the moneys spent in flowers after the death of a star/celebrity/etc...

I believe (looking for the link now) that raised money will be going to "Take back the night", an org that helps rape victims and teaches women how to avoid risky situations.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

It's human nature...people feel horrible for an event, they feel helpless because they obviously weren't there to help, so they do what they can to alleviate their own displaced anger and helplesness. It's the same with post 9/11 and post-Katrina donations and, to a lesser degree, the moneys spent in flowers after the death of a star/celebrity/etc...

I believe (looking for the link now) that raised money will be going to "Take back the night", an org that helps rape victims and teaches women how to avoid risky situations.

I can do that for free. Keep your ass at home when you're 14, instead of going for midnight drives with 18 year old men you don't know.

If people feel compelled to give her money, have at it. By all means. But my questions remain. Money ain't what she needs.

 

[HomeLAN]

And it ain't the same thing as 9/11 or Katrina. In those cases you're talking about thousands of victims. In this case, you're talking about 1 unfortunate victim.

It's a question of scale. No comparison. On something of the scale of these two events, money is a necessity. In this case, it truly doesn't seem to be.

 

[freako104]

... These are the basics of the case.

This was the defence lawyer's choice of defence. For those who don't understand french, it basically says
"...the victim was the author of her own misadventure. The victim had the choice to refuse the invitation of Frédéric Dompierre and his accomplice the night of November 24th. She added that the victim did not respect her parent's curfew and was negligent."

So... a 14 year old girl is lured to a park by two men, repeatedly raped, beaten on the head with a rock, forced to escape by swimming naked to a small island (in November) and then finally escaped by foot (naked, wet and bleeding) to a highway where she hailed a passing car for help.

Yup...she asked for it alright.

**The defence lawyer is a woman, who's obviously never heard of rape before and must've thought that it was all good clean fun. **

So much for the support of rape victims and the semblance of protection for those who come forward to report their rapes. At least the lawyer didn't bring up any past sexual contact which the victim had had. Oops...forgot, the girl was a virgin, so she couldn't be attacked in this way, or I'm sure that she would've been.

Source
[/indent]

Wow. Just wow. I feel the men should get death. Poor girl. And rape is NEVER the fault of the victim

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Very true.

My last comments were not meant to imply anything like "she got what was coming to her". They are meant to address the Take Back The Night stuff.

I'm sorry for what happened to this girl. Had she stayed home, where 14 year old girls should be a midnight, it wouldn't. If TBTN needs money to spread this word, get it elsewhere...I still have functioning brain cells.

 

[MrBishop]

I'm not trying to get y'all to give TBTN money. Nor am I saying that she needs or deserves money. She'll probably need therapy though.


TBTN also works to help give victims the strength to talk to someone about their rape, report it and follow through on the legal front. Too many rapes go un-reported and too many rapists unpunished IMHO.

As for the comparrison...I understand that there's a scale issue here but there shouldn't be. Keep in mind that according to FBI records, there were 95,000 rapes in the USA in 2002 (and this was a rising figure).

As coping mechinisms go...if you can help one person (or donate money in one person's name)..you are helping many many more.

The other side of the coin is that this girl's treatment in court also affects the thousands of other who will be raped and will now think hard about reporting it.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

As for the comparrison...I understand that there's a scale issue here but there shouldn't be. Keep in mind that according to FBI records, there were 95,000 rapes in the USA in 2002 (and this was a rising figure).

As coping mechinisms go...if you can help one person (or donate money in one person's name)..you are helping many many more.

The other side of the coin is that this girl's treatment in court also affects the thousands of other who will be raped and will now think hard about reporting it.

Again, I do not support the notion that crime victims need money. If we start that, you'll see a helluva lot more rapes reported. Maybe even naming you as the perp, if you know someone needing money badly enough. Is that what you want?

The answer to life's problems is not to throw money at them. It does not solve one thing for a rape victim. Nothing. Counseling...maybe. Should be made available to the victim by all means. But just because someone gets raped, we do not need to be badgered into a contribution. That's what the justice system, such as it may be, is there for. If that system isn't satisfactory, then get busy reforming it, not financing the victims out of pity.

There are numerous organizations that try and assist crime victims. Donations to any is a wonderful idea if one feels so compelled.

As to her treatment in court...Judges are elected. If your isn't tough enough on crime, campaign for a replacement. In these parts, we don't have that problem. Our criminal court judge is among the strictest in the state. I've worked under very lenient ones though, and it sucks. So act locally on that front. Having maintained a career in this foeld for awhile now, I can truthfully say that the leniency of the trial judge is overblown though. Rape victims have reasons for not reporting them...and blaming it on the judge is a more acceptable socially excuse than many of the real ones. I understand all about how hurtful this crime is. Most victims will not say out loud why they don't report it because they already are beating themselves up for it and do NOT want to hear it again. So they find a reason society will accept, and use that as their scapegoat when they really didn't report it for other reasons entirely.

Just my 1/50 of a dollar.

 

[MrBishop]

Actually...the judge wasn't that bad..just the defence attourney, who really should know better and will hopefully be slapped down for it.

Again, I do not support the notion that crime victims need money.

Neither do I. They need emotional and clinical support. What I am saying is that people (other than the victim) need to feel as if they're helping out in some way. Hence, a stranger takes their time to put together a fund for this girl. Might be the wrong place to put this effort (I'd rather that she put her effort at starting a petition to strengthen rape laws so that perps get more than the average of 2 years).

Hopefully I won't get too much flack for this but... consider the $38.1 billion dollars donated to the families of those who died during 9/11 and some companies affected as well. A good chunk of coming from insurance companies and the GVT. A little over $2.4 billion in direct individual and corp donations from all over the world.

Will any of it go towards bringing back those who died? Hardly. So why did people give out that much money? To help them feel as if they were doing something to help the victims of a terrorist attack.

*This is in no way intended to denigrate the donations made during 9/11 or the reasoning behind those donations*

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Or to assist families where the sole or primary bread winner was killed...which did not happen to this 14 year old truant rape victim.

 

[greenfreak]

Hopefully I won't get too much flack for this but... consider the $38.1 billion dollars donated to the families of those who died during 9/11 and some companies affected as well. A good chunk of coming from insurance companies and the GVT. A little over $2.4 billion in direct individual and corp donations from all over the world.

Will any of it go towards bringing back those who died? Hardly. So why did people give out that much money? To help them feel as if they were doing something to help the victims of a terrorist attack.

*This is in no way intended to denigrate the donations made during 9/11 or the reasoning behind those donations*

Ditto to what SNP said and you also have to consider the hundreds of businesses that lost millions in computers, data, property damage. The trade center was also home to numerous cell towers and antennas, since they were the tallest buildings.

 

[MrBishop]

Ditto to what SNP said and you also have to consider the hundreds of businesses that lost millions in computers, data, property damage. The trade center was also home to numerous cell towers and antennas, since they were the tallest buildings.

Most of which was covered by insurance. I somehow don't think that people donated money to support corp A.

SnP - people die every day. Some of them will be the primary breadwinner. You don't see the general populace jumping at the idea of sending their money to support that person's family. I think that it goes beyond that.

Hell, I'm not sure that many people who donated moneys even thought about where the money might be going and why...they just had to do something...anything...to help, so they opened up their bankbooks, packed blankets and food into boxes, donated blood etc...to help.

I think that this has a lot to do with why some people were so pissed off when they realized that their money was being used elsewhere or for administrative costs, by the charities that they trusted to 'do the right thing' with their money.

I'm going to drop this now...I'm getting depressed, especially since it's so close to 9/11+4.

The whole point wasn't about the money being raised for this girl..it was about the fact that a female lawyer had the gaul to blame the victim in a rape case...as if she, or any victim, had asked for it.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Yes, people die every day. People are raped every day. People are crime victims every day. People eat cous cous every day too.

I can't speak for another soul on this board. I only know that when someone in this community dies, we still do things the old way. We take food. We give money if there is a need. We give beans out of the garden, fix cars for widows, see that the kids get new school clothes, whatever the need might be. I still contend that soliciting donations, as some gentleman did in the news story above, is starting down a slope I personally do not wish to slide down.

The comments of the attorney are shameful. The behavior of the teenager is deplorable, and unfortunately she now gets to become a statistic because of her behavior and her choice toleave her home at midnight with two men.

Donations are voluntary. When solicited, I get a bit more thrifty. If it's a fault, I'll own that fault.

 

[Mare]

I'm sorry for what happened to this girl. Had she stayed home, where 14 year old girls should be a midnight, it wouldn't.

AMEN!!!!
Yes, a 14 yr. old girl needs not to be out at midnight!

 

[MrBishop]

I can't speak for another soul on this board. I only know that when someone in this community dies, we still do things the old way. We take food. We give money if there is a need. We give beans out of the garden, fix cars for widows, see that the kids get new school clothes, whatever the need might be. I still contend that soliciting donations, as some gentleman did in the news story above, is starting down a slope I personally do not wish to slide down.

That's the joy of living in a small community where you're likely to know not only your neighbours, but those down the street as well. I live in a large suburb of a metropolis and although I can say that I know people on my street and I've helped mend fences and lift boxes, there hasn't been a death in the area since I've been there and i don't know how many would react. Help how you can, I guess. The larger the community, the smaller the circle of friendly neighbours gets, until in some metropolises you might know the people on the same floor as you..maybe. Perhaps the worst part of living large.

The comments of the attorney are shameful. The behavior of the teenager is deplorable, and unfortunately she now gets to become a statistic because of her behavior and her choice toleave her home at midnight with two men.

More's the shame.

Donations are voluntary. When solicited, I get a bit more thrifty. If it's a fault, I'll own that fault.

Having worked with a few volunteer orgs, I can tell you that solicitation is sometimes the only way to ensure that your work goes on. People forget to donate or, if they don't get reminded that an organization exists and what it is that they do, they go elsewhere. The one place that gets most of my time as a volunteer (The Missing Children's Network) solicits activly once per year in a radiothon. The rest of the time, they try to get radio stations to mention events where they'll be present doing videoID clinics or in-school safety classes. Keeps them visible so when the radiothon comes around...they get the well-needed funds to keep working for another year. Being non-profit means living on the edge of dissapearance..I don't flinch when I get solicited.