Every now and then I find crazy news articles from around the world. Today, I found one that pretty much pissed me off. A 22 year old cab driver, of Middle Eastern decent, was acquitted last month of raping a woman who suffers from Williams Syndrome. People who suffer from this disease do so from birth. This disorder is characterized by physical and developmental problems including an impulsive and outgoing (excessively social) personality, limited spatial skills and motor control, and intellectual disability (i.e., developmental delay, learning disabilities, mental retardation, or attention deficit disorder). Other features include characteristic "elfin-like" facial features, heart and blood vessel problems, hypocalcaemia (elevated blood calcium levels), low birth weight, slow weight gain, feeding problems, irritability during infancy, dental and kidney abnormalities, hyperacusis (sensitive hearing), and musculoskeletal problems. He was acquitted because the highly intelligent jury of aliens said he could have easily confused her disorder with a desire for sex. And despite the fact that he had been in the country for more than 12 years, the jury also said that his trouble with the language could have made it difficult for him to misunderstand her objections. I have a few problems with this. By my calculations, if he had been in the country for 12 years, he had arrived when he was 10. This of course means that he finished elementary, junior high and high school in this country. The language had to be learned at some point. If he didn�t have sufficient knowledge of the language, how the hell did he know where his customers needed to get to if he couldn�t communicate? The jurors also bought the idea that Middle Eastern men believed women of this country to be �easy�. I don�t care what kind of personality this disease gives its sufferers. These excuses are bullshit. These people can still experience other emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, etc. And the last time I checked, no meant no in any and every language. So, if she seemed to be in a hyper friendly mode when he came in contact with her, I guaranty she wasn�t that way for very long before he started forcing himself on her and she began fighting and screaming. Apparently the jury figured that she�s used to being a victim and this incident should not be treated any differently.
