Cut UK age of consent to 13 says lady Barrister.

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

The Civil Rights move towards inter-generational relationships begins....


Allow legal sex at 13 to stop 'old men abuse persecutions', says barrister

The age of consent for sex should be lowered to 13 years-old to end the ''persecution of old men'' in the wake of the Savile sex abuse scandal, a leading barrister has claimed.


Barbara Hewson, a barrister at Hardwicke chambers in London
Photo: Andrew Crowley

In a controversial intervention, Barbara Hewson, a barrister at Hardwicke chambers in London, also called for the end of anonymity for complainants.

The lawyer, who specialises in reproductive rights also claimed crimes committed by disgraced broadcaster Stuart Hall were ''low level misdemeanours''.

Campaigners today criticised the ''outdated and simply ill-informed'' views, which it said ''beggars belief'' from a highly-experienced barrister.

Her article also provoked an internal row within her chambers, which launched an "investigation" into the claims.

Her comments come as Scotland Yard runs Operation Yewtree, an investigation split into three inquiries into allegations involving deceased presenter Jimmy Savile, involving Savile and others and those involving just others.

A number of high-profile figures have been arrested under Yewtree such as entertainer Rolf Harris, former pop star Gary Glitter, DJ Dave Lee Travis, comedian Jim Davidson and PR guru Max Clifford.

All deny any wrongdoing.

In an article for online magazine Spiked, she argued that ''the post-Savile witch-hunting of ageing celebs echoes the Soviet Union'' and says that it is not difficult to see why some elderly defendants ''conclude that resistance is useless''.

She added: ''But the low-level misdemeanours with which Stuart Hall was charged are nothing like serious crime.''

''Ordinarily, Hall's misdemeanours would not be prosecuted, and certainly not decades after the event.

''What we have here is the manipulation of the British criminal-justice system to produce scapegoats on demand. It is a grotesque spectacle.''

She continued: ''It's time to end this prurient charade, which has nothing to do with justice or the public interest.''

The barrister added: ''Instead, we should focus on arming today's youngsters with the savoir-faire and social skills to avoid drifting into compromising situations, and prosecute modern crime.

''As for law reform, now regrettably necessary, my recommendations are remove complainant anonymity, introduce a strict statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions and civil actions and reduce the age of consent to 13.''

Ms Hewson argued that ''touching a 17-year-old's breast, kissing a 13-year-old, or putting one's hand up a 16-year-old's skirt'' are not comparable to cases such as the Ealing Vicarage rape or Fordingbridge gang rape and murders from 1986.

She added: ''Anyone suggesting otherwise has lost touch with reality.''

Ms Hewson also labelled charities such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) as ''moral crusaders'' who have infiltrated Yewtree.

She was unavailable for comment today but she posted on Twitter how she was the subject of abuse from users in the wake of her article.

Twitter:

Barbara Hewson - So now someone wants me raped and another wants me 'hunted into obscurity'-Visceral, very nasty stuff.

Today, a spokeswoman for Hardwicke distanced the chambers from the article.

She added: "We are shocked by the views expressed in Barbara Hewson’s article in Spiked.

"We did not see or approve the article pre-publication and we completely dissociate ourselves from its content and any related views she may have expressed via social media or any other media outlets."

Peter Watt, director of the NSPCC helpline, also attacked the barrister.

He added: ''These outdated and simply ill-informed views would be shocking to hear from anyone but to hear them from a highly experienced barrister simply beggars belief.

''Stuart Hall has pleaded guilty to abusing children as young as nine years old, we think most people would agree that crimes of this nature are incredibly serious. Thankfully the law, and most people, are very clear on this matter.

''To minimise and trivialise the impact of these offences for victims in this way is all but denying that they have in fact suffered abuse at all. Any suggestion of lowering the age of consent could put more young people at risk from those who prey on vulnerable young people."

He added: ''And we must strongly defend the right for victims to remain anonymous and to ask for justice no matter when they choose to come forward.

''Many who are abused are bullied, blackmailed and shamed into staying silent, often well into adulthood. We must always be prepared to act no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.

''The actions of those who speak out also protect others from abuse and give confidence to other victims to come forward.''

A spokesman from the Bar Council said: "Any sexual offence or allegation of a sexual offence, particularly where the complainant is under the age of consent, should be treated with the utmost seriousness.

"These types of offences can destroy victims' lives. They are not trivial and it would be wholly wrong for anyone to suggest otherwise."

Ms Hewson is regularly ranked as a Leading Junior by The Legal 500 in the fields of public and administrative law, human rights and civil liberties, and professional discipline and regulatory law, according to her chambers' website.

She has won cases in the European Court of Human Rights, the Supreme Court and High Court of the Republic of Ireland.

telegraph.co.uk

[Necron99]

Brave woman.

[DrAndy]

Stuart Hall has pleaded guilty to abusing children as young as nine years old,

give them an inch, they will take a mile

the law is there to protect young children; whilst many 13 year olds can look after themselves, a sizeable minority are easily led astray and fooled, groomed and assaulted

[taxexile]

The age of consent should indeed be lowered, but whilst a thirteen year old girl with a sixteen year old boy might be considered acceptable, that same girl with a twenty + year old man would certainly not.

[harrybarracuda]

Well I think we can take a wild guess as to how old her boyfriend is then.

[khmen]

The age of consent should indeed be lowered, but whilst a thirteen year old girl with a sixteen year old boy might be considered acceptable, that same girl with a twenty + year old man would certainly not.

Yes, but that scenario (the 16/13 yr old) could easily be remedied with official "Romeo and Juliet" laws governing what age difference constitutes normal sexual experimentation and what constitutes abuse. The line has to be drawn somewhere and I feel laws on the statute books such as this would clear up any ambivalence.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone calling for a lower age of consent and demanding rights for alleged sex pests is likely a wrong 'un. Instantly makes me wonder, "What skeletons have you got lurking then? Why do you feel so strongly about this particular issue?".

Last person I remember expressing similar sentiments was ol' Ken Barlow - lo and behold...

I won't be at all surprised if this supposedly educated woman ends up in the dock for dyking off a 13 year old girl at some point in the not too distant.

[crepitas]

Way to go lass!

Scenario:
Your pubescent lad gets himself laid by an auntie or mature lady.."way to go lad goodonya..let me pour you a scotch"

A pubescent girl gets it on with a mature male ie maybe more than a few years older..
"where is the frickin pervert lets kill him and or jail the bastard"

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.
Is it not common knowledge that girls mature mentally earlier than boys?
Come on ....such a hypercritical world we live in.
Many a potentate , judge, politician, regent etc has ....no one dared jail 'em??

[Gravesend Dave]

Way to go lass!

Scenario:
Your pubescent lad gets himself laid by an auntie or mature lady.."way to go lad goodonya..let me pour you a scotch"

A pubescent girl gets it on with a mature male ie maybe more than a few years older..
"where is the frickin pervert lets kill him and or jail the bastard"

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.
Is it not common knowledge that girls mature mentally earlier than boys?
Come on ....such a hypercritical world we live in.
Many a potentate , judge, politician, regent etc has ....no one dared jail 'em??

So if their older enough to bleed and all that!

Some girls start their periods at very young ages,but they are still immature kids!

You sound like a sick idiot

[Looper]

It won't work, you would have to retrospectively release all those already jailed.

No you would not.

[crepitas]

Way to go lass!

Scenario:
Your pubescent lad gets himself laid by an auntie or mature lady.."way to go lad goodonya..let me pour you a scotch"

A pubescent girl gets it on with a mature male ie maybe more than a few years older..
"where is the frickin pervert lets kill him and or jail the bastard"

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.
Is it not common knowledge that girls mature mentally earlier than boys?
Come on ....such a hypercritical world we live in.
Many a potentate , judge, politician, regent etc has ....no one dared jail 'em??

So if their older enough to bleed and all that!

Some girls start their periods at very young ages,but they are still immature kids!

You sound like a sick idiot

Yes!! that is exactly it .not my fault that they are sexually mature and have resultant wants.. such a perceptive lad you must be.....get ya head out of the sand mate..read a bit of history.. I don't condone rape or.. but reality is that that your innocent "old enough's" are somewhat more aware of their sexuality than you choose to believe...nuff said .....just my opinion.
Is it possible that those who spout about other sick idiots tend to be the same as judges and politicians ....hypocrites..?
.So called "Freedom fighters" who blow up women and children comes to mind..
enough!! have fun laddie..respect your right to an opinion..that is what these stupid blogs are all about ..yes??

[baldrick]

chop her nuts off

...oh wait

[Gravesend Dave]

Way to go lass!

Scenario:
Your pubescent lad gets himself laid by an auntie or mature lady.."way to go lad goodonya..let me pour you a scotch"

A pubescent girl gets it on with a mature male ie maybe more than a few years older..
"where is the frickin pervert lets kill him and or jail the bastard"

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.
Is it not common knowledge that girls mature mentally earlier than boys?
Come on ....such a hypercritical world we live in.
Many a potentate , judge, politician, regent etc has ....no one dared jail 'em??

So if their older enough to bleed and all that!

Some girls start their periods at very young ages,but they are still immature kids!

You sound like a sick idiot

Yes!! that is exactly it .not my fault that they are sexually mature and have resultant wants.. such a perceptive lad you must be.....get ya head out of the sand mate..read a bit of history.. I don't condone rape or.. but reality is that that your innocent "old enough's" are somewhat more aware of their sexuality than you choose to believe...nuff said .....just my opinion.
Is it possible that those who spout about other sick idiots tend to be the same as judges and politicians ....hypocrites..?
.So called "Freedom fighters" who blow up women and children comes to mind..
enough!! have fun laddie..respect your right to an opinion..that is what these stupid blogs are all about ..yes??

As father of a nine year old daughter I am well aware that she will loose her innocents at some point.
Maybe it will be before she reaches the age of consent.
I would like to hope that if that was the case it would be we a like minded teenager.

Sexually mature men who view girls who are still children as fair game just because their body chemistry is starting to change are nonces!!

Your last sentence is nonsense , I do not respect the opinions of men who can not see the wrong in sexual activity with girls that are in fact children.

[Looper]

Whether a girl is ready for a sexual relationship or not is a complex matter depending on many factors and will also be a subjective matter of opinion of the relevant sexual parties and concerned others such as parents.

There is no single precise correct age of consent.

The law requires an age to be nominated to be legally effective, and for society to function the law has to be observed and prosecuted.

It is usually 16. Maybe it could be revised down but the subject is too much of a hysterical witch-hunt at the moment to allow rational debate involving men so, ironically, it takes a woman to float the idea.

[billy the kid]

they would need to reduce it to 7yrs. old to get saville's and BBC's friends off the hook.

[DrAndy]

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.

the law is there to protect young children; whilst many 13 year olds can look after themselves, a sizeable minority are easily led astray and fooled, groomed and assaulted

you can't equate physical maturity with mental maturity

better to have a law that protects those young girls who are not mature rather than one that protects more men having sex with younger girls

[crocman]

Stupid bitch should taken out and shot with a ball of her own verbal shit.

[kingwilly]

Yep, well said Dave and DrAndy

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

you can't equate physical maturity with mental maturity

By mental maturity are you referring more to emotional development or intellectual development?

Because there are plenty of teenagers over 16 who would be ruled out in either case.

My emotional development at that age would have ruled me out of sexual action - which due to an uncanny coincidence - I didn't get anyway - despite my strict legal entitlement to give informed consent (a courtroom argument that never succeeded with Devon girls), .....unlike the minxes in my French A level class who seemed to have older boyfriends they'd bonk like steam engines.

I suggest that any teenager proposing to have sex, has to sit an exam for a license. Not just testing their emotional wherewithal, but also their ability to conjugate Latin verbs.

[taxexile]

Fellatio, fellatias, fellatiat, fellatiamus, fellatiatis, fellatiant.

[bigtopskinnylegs]

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.

the law is there to protect young children; whilst many 13 year olds can look after themselves, a sizeable minority are easily led astray and fooled, groomed and assaulted

you can't equate physical maturity with mental maturity

better to have a law that protects those young girls who are not mature rather than one that protects more men having sex with younger girls

Nail on the head comes to mind.....Totally agree DrAndy.

[wasabi]

So how old was Barbara when she first played with Dick?

[harrybarracuda]

So how old was Barbara when she first played with Dick?

Her own or someone else's?

[Rainfall]

Since nature decided that girls are mature at anywhere between 12-15 ie getting their period..not sure why society has to intervene.

the law is there to protect young children; whilst many 13 year olds can look after themselves, a sizeable minority are easily led astray and fooled, groomed and assaulted

you can't equate physical maturity with mental maturity

better to have a law that protects those young girls who are not mature rather than one that protects more men having sex with younger girls

The law doesn't protect young girls, but punishes offenders. They are well aware of the law, but don't care and don't expect to be caught. Besides, 90% of the pedophiles go after young boys. Most men in prison for having sex with teenage girl are actually there because they stopped having sex with the girl, and she decided that she had been abused after the older men ended the relationship.

If you're looking for something that protects the girls, start with the parents. They can teach them a set of values, such as to remain a virgin for as long as possible, not to have sex for the sake of sex during the teenage years, to have it only with a man she loves, and to stay away from alcohol and drugs.

[Norton]

Voting age in UK is 18. Paradoxically, the lady wishes 13 for age of consent.

Defies logic. Mentally mature enough for sex but not to vote.

[steve down under]

Stupid dumb blonde Cnut wondering if she has a daughter would she be happy to let her go out fucking around at 13 !