TITLE:
Everyone's a Victim
VALIDITY:
courts, adult
DESCRIPTION:
A forty-four year old woman recently tried to bring her biological father to court over the alleged rape of her mother, which resulted in her conception and subsequent upbringing in foster care. However, her own biological mother refused to prefer charges, and has stated 'the past is best left in the past'. Legal clarification from government is sought as to whether this case can proceed.
OPTION 1
"Of course the judicial system must be able to prosecute where they believe a crime has been committed, with or without the involvement of the victim," expounds retired lawyer @@randomname@@, a supposedly impartial expert, who also happens to be the woman's father. "However in this case the daughter was not a witness to the rape... uh, the alleged rape... and without the testimony of her mother the quality of evidence and the chances of a conviction are slim to none. Do we want likely innocent men dragged into court to suffer the public shame of charges that subsequently cannot be proven? Is court time and taxpayer so abundant that it can be wasted in this way? The expedient and sensible thing to do here is to only prosecute serious crime cases when the victim is willing to press charges, with suitable exceptions for victims who are minors or mentally incompetent, or when there are clear witnesses to the crime."
OUTCOME:
homicide cases are hard to prosecute
OPTION 2
"The old biddy's just worried about her reputation, and probably scared of him still, but she privately told me what happened and I want my biological father punished," explains the daughter, who is under a restraining order not to approach either of her parents after shouting at them while waving a leaf blower at them in an aggressive manner. "Don't forget, I'm also a victim in this crime. I spent my whole life outside of a loving family environment, I've found it hard to form relationships, I can't trust people, I keep losing my temper, I can't hold down a steady job. As a second victim, I should be allowed to press charges, and have my chance to have this rapist face justice for the damage he has done."
OUTCOME:
every bad decision in someone's life is blamed on their upbringing
OPTION 3
"Honestly, you ought to be lowering the bar both for bringing charges and the level of evidence needed to convict," interrupts @@randomname@@, another lawyer who happens to be another of the father's ex-lovers. "Anyone should be able to present their suspicions of sexual abuse and rape, even if they have no familial connection or direct relation to the crime. There's no smoke without fire, and sometimes all you need to do is be close to the situation to smell something rotten going on."
OUTCOME:
schoolgirls who think their geography teacher is a bit weird can make life hell for him
DRAFT 1:
