digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at telegraph.co.uk

13 y.o. Lolita's Love Affair Scandalises Italy

telegraph.co.uk — 34-year-old man who had sex with a 13-year-old girl gets his sentence cut in half because the judge determined there was "real love" between the pair. The court decision has unleashed a wave of condemnation in Italy. WTF is wrong with the judge?

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • TaniaDerveaux, on 02/09/2008, -68/+57Pedobear seal of approval?

    Seriously though, this is just sickening.
    • salomejones, on 02/09/2008, -9/+6Yeah. Why don't you go complain to South Carolina too:

      "If you are under 18, you will need a certified copy of your birth certificate and a notarized statement of parental consent. The minimum age for a female is 14 and it is 16 for a male."

      http://www.coolnurse.com/marriage_laws.htm
      • alk509, on 02/09/2008, -20/+15Because South Carolina's in America, while Italy's in France. Duh!
        • markp88, on 02/09/2008, -4/+17I HOPE this is supposed to be sarcastic! (Italy in France?!)
          • yohan, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3Reading his other comments, he seems to be another satire poster who likes to take stabs at Americans' general knowledge.
          • alk509, on 02/09/2008, -2/+1Well, at least one of you got it... *****...
          • nepawoods, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3Got it? It didn't make much sense in the given context.
        • codelogic, on 02/09/2008, -1/+5wow.
    • PURPLEDRINK, on 02/09/2008, -15/+62 (PEDOBEAR)
      ............∩_____∩
      　　 | ノ　　　　ヽ
      　　/　　●　　● |　
      　 |　　　　( _●_)ミ
      　彡､　　　|∪|　　､｀＼
      /　＿＿　 ヽノ　/´>　 )
      (＿＿＿）　　　/　(_／
      　|　　　　　/
      　|　　／＼　＼
      　|　/　　　 )　 )
      　∪　　　 （　 ＼ ＼＿)

      (PLATINUM SEAL OF APPROVAL)
      • fxu1989, on 02/09/2008, -2/+21That looks like a retarded monkey not pedobear >:(
        • yacks, on 02/09/2008, -2/+7It's Pedomonkey.. When it's monkeying around time.
    • aussieNickuss, on 02/09/2008, -4/+3413 is a bit too old for pedobear isn't it? I thought he was all for 12 or less.
      • crossmr, on 02/09/2008, -3/+4in america they don't stick to things like definitions and facts. Pedophile sounds bad, so even if it doesn't fit the definition they'll toss it around to brand someone.
    • themastersb, on 02/09/2008, -4/+21Italy. Here I come.
    • DucoNihilum, on 02/09/2008, -9/+2Pedobear = loli

      Chris Hansen = JB

      Depending on the girl, it's most likely hansen.

      YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG
    • passedoutghost, on 02/09/2008, -12/+59…..........…....…..... . . . . … …... . . . . .____,,,---~`,,
      …….......…......……. . . . ..…… ,,,_.,-~"* . . . . . . . . .",
      ……..............………. . . . . ..… /` . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ",
      …….......……........… . . . . …,/. . . . : : : : : :::: :::: :: : : : : :
      ...….............………. . . . … /. . . .: . :: : : :::: :::: :::: :::: : ::: ‘-,
      ..….......………......... . . . .,/ . . . : . :: ::: :: : : :: :::: :::: :: : : : :: ‘-,
      …….......…….........….. ,-/‘ : :: :: :: :: :: : : : : : : : :: : : :::: :::: ::::::’;
      …….......…….*""'''~~~~-_______________,,,,,,,,,,,,----~"""""""`/""*
      …….......…….. ,/,/',,/",,/"",,/"", . ,/"", . ,/"", . ,/"", . ,/",/",/",/".,-"-/
      …….......…….. | : : : : : :¯ : : ¯ : : ¯¯ : : :¯¯ : : :¯¯ : : :¯¯ : : : : : : : : : : |
      ...............……... "~~-,,_____,,,,______,,,,,,,,____________,,,,---~"
      ……………….| ; ; ;,’ , , , _,,-~’’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯’’~’-,,_ ,,-~’’ , , ‘, ;’, …………
      ……………….’, ; ; ‘-, ,-~’’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-, , , , , ,’ ; |…………
      …………………’, ; ;,’’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-, , ,-‘ ;,-‘…………
      ………………….,’-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-‘ ;,,-‘…………..
      ………………..,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;__ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,’……………..
      ………………,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,-‘’¯: : ’’-, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; _ ; ; ; ; ;’,……………..
      ……………..,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;| : : : : : :| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,-‘’¯: ¯’’-, ; ; ;’,…………….
      …………….,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,_: : _,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; | : : : : : :| ; ; ; |……………
      ……………,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,,_ : :,-‘ ; ; ; ;|……………
      …………..,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,,-~’’ , , , , ,,,-~~-, , , , _ ; ; ;¯¯ ; ; ; ; ;|…...........It's a Fiesta kids, you like candy?
      …………,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,’ , , , , , , ,( : : : : , , , ,’’-, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;|……………
      ……….,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’, , , , , , , , ,’~---~’’ , , , , , ,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,…………..
      …….,-‘’ ; _, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘’~-,,,,--~~’’’¯’’’~-,,_ , ,_,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘,………….
      ….,-‘’-~’’,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; | ; ; | . . . . . . ,’; ,’’¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,_ ; ‘-,………..
      ……….,’ ; ;,-, ; ;, ; ; ;, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘, ; ;’, . . . . .,’ ;,’ ; ; ; ;, ; ; ;,’-, ; ;,’ ‘’~--‘’’………
      ………,’-~’ ,-‘-~’’ ‘, ,-‘ ‘, ,,- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘, ; ; ‘~-,,,-‘’ ; ,’ ; ; ; ; ‘, ;,-‘’ ; ‘, ,-‘,……………..
      ……….,-‘’ ; ; ; ; ; ‘’ ; ; ;’’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘’-,,_ ; ; ; _,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ;’-‘’ ; ; ; ‘’ ; ;’-,…………..
      ……..,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯¯’’¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-,……….
      …………...’\, . .’/ . . . . ./ . ‘’~-,\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,/ /’’| . . . .,-‘’ . . . ,/,,-‘ ………
      ……………..’-, / . . . . ./ . . . . . . . . . ., . , . . . . . . . ‘’ . .’| . . . .’\ . . .,/ ……………
      ………………..| . . . .,/ . . . . . . . . . . .’V’ . . . . . . . . . . ,\ . . . . ‘| ,-‘’|……………
      ……………….|’ . . .,-‘‘\. . . . . . . . . . . .| . . . . . . . . . . / . \ . . . .’|’ , ,| ……………
      ……………….| . . ,/’. .‘\. . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . / . . . \ . . .| , , ,| ……………
      ………………..\,-‘’’ . . . ’\. . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .,-‘ . . . . .’-,,/ , , , ,| …………
      …………………’\ . . . . . ‘~, . . . . . . .,/’\, . . . . . ,-‘’ . . . . . . ,-‘ , , , , ,| ….………
      …………………..’’-, . . . . . ‘~-,,_ . ,-‘ . .’-,_,,-~’’ . . . . . . .,-‘ , , , , , , ,| ….………
      ……………………..¯’’~-,,,,,,,,-~’’’¯ . . . . . ‘’~--,,,,,,,,,,-~’’\ , , , , , , , , | ….………
      ……………………….,/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘\ , , , , , , ,| ..…………
      ……………………..,/’ . . . . . . . . . . . . ,,, . . . . . . . . . . . . . ‘’\ , , , , , ,| ..…………
      ……………………,/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .’’\ , , , , , |….………
      …………………..,/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \ , , , , , |................
    • ZeRux, on 02/09/2008, -18/+78How is two people loving each other sickening? Do you have no heart? She wasn't raped or molested, for *****'s sake!
      Besides, who do you think you are to have right on commenting other people's sexual lives? Such things should remain private.
      • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -6/+25well said. without knowing any details, all i can say is that there COULD be more to this than just an old guy wanting to ***** some young girl.
      • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -9/+5ofc it's still wrong what he did. but cutting the sentence seems reasonable if the girl really was pressuring the issue. he's just a human beeing too ... when was the last time you weren't in a relationship and you could say no to a beautiful women?
        • Niightwitch, on 02/09/2008, -2/+2This was not a "beautiful woman", this was a CHILD who needed to be protected.
          • nepawoods, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6There's not enough information present to make that call.
          • johnnick, on 02/10/2008, -3/+2Ummm...Yes, there is. The kid was 13, the guy was 34. That's enough information for him to be convicted of statutory rape.
      • wordglue, on 02/09/2008, -11/+5So then you won't have a problem with me taking your 13 year old daughter on a date, right?
    • deadmann, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2No "..nice"?
    • ICSU, on 02/09/2008, -5/+5There is nothing wrong with the judge. The only problem are those pretentious religious zealots.
  • seomike, on 02/09/2008, -26/+74ROFL "fallen head over heels in love" after a sexual encounter in his car..."
    Having lived in Italy this is no big surprise. What they aren't reporting is most Italian men live at home until their late 30's with mom and dad. That's why he had to get it on in a Fiat. Sick as it is to us Americans this crap goes on all the time over there. It's usually overlooked unless parents press the matter, since most parents over there have found memories of when they were doing the same crap they usually don't press the matter at all. Too funny
    • Nannybell, on 02/09/2008, -27/+11It is common in Italy for men age 30+ to have sex with 13 year old girls? I don't find that funny.
      • ReadItAndWeep, on 02/09/2008, -9/+35Throughout all of human history, people began mating once they reached puberty, you ignorant twit. It is natural for teenagers to have sex. If you don't like it, blame God or blame nature, but don't blame humans responding to their natural urges. According to the Bible, God had sex with Mary when she was around 14 years old, thus giving us the baby Jesus. If you are calling God a pedophile, then you are a sick piece of *****. ***** YOU!!!
        • calibration, on 02/09/2008, -7/+41God is a pedophile.
        • kingmanic, on 02/09/2008, -8/+7It's normal for teens to have sex with each other. At the moment our society is such that the power inequity between a 30+ year old man and a teen isn't appropriate and thus it's wrong. So if she was bophing her 15 year old neighbor. fine. But the 30 year old man is a pedo.
        • byleth, on 02/09/2008, -5/+0Sure it is wrong because you say so. Besides, sex != baby if done properly.
        • heynoop, on 02/09/2008, -1/+15finally, someone with a logical view on the matter. i don't know at what point in history it became 'sick' to do what this guy did, considering its been done for thousands of ***** years, but whatever. i'm not condoning people go out and have rampant sex with 13 year olds, but you foaming at the mouth psychos ("oh my god what sick *****", etc.) need to seriously take a step back and chill. you do realize the only reason you think it's 'sick' is because you've been conditioned to think that, right? the age of consent in almost every other country is much lower than America's.
          • Drahkar, on 02/09/2008, -1/+14@USMarinesTanker

            Its one-viewed, burn the unbelievers, narrow viewed fools like you which are killing the 'Christian Foundation' of the United States. Not that I see that as a bad thing considering most of the 'Christian Foundation' tend to look at things like you do and people are sick of their self-righteous and ignorant rhetoric. You spout crap as gospel and 'Universal Truths' but refuse to realize that it is a matter of conditioning. You are conditioned by who you are around and who teach you on what is right ad wrong. Don't get me wrong. I think the raping of anyone, adult or child, is wrong. However the idea that its impossible for a young individual to fall in love with an older one is just moronic. I've known several people who did fall in love with a 20 year gap. The younger one waited until they were of age so they could marry them without having anyone else's consent. But arrogant pricks like you would go after the older of the pair.

            Perhaps you should take a moment to realize that the world is a lot bigger than the pinprick view you have taken on everything.
          • grimward, on 02/09/2008, -2/+2Wow heynoop, that must be one of the more enlightend responses I've read regarding age of consent... my digg goes to you :)
            Granted, 13 seems a bit too young, but in this case it would seem that there are some other very weird factors present which makes it something else than just "old guy humping young innocent girl" Shades of grey as they might say!
    • norman619, on 02/09/2008, -17/+9That's pretty sad and pathetic.
    • colonelbuckshot, on 02/09/2008, -15/+16You've obviously never been to Italy before.
      • bluezinc, on 02/09/2008, -5/+9Well, I have. Spent some significant time living there. He's absolutely right. I'm not sure why you'd doubt him unless you went there yourself and took a tour bus around Rome and for some reason think that makes you an expert.
    • Annibal, on 02/09/2008, -3/+9Don't know what type of people you know but I lived in rome for 20 years and "this crap goes on all the time over there" is a *****.
    • zeiben, on 02/09/2008, -3/+15Whatever. I watched the Sopranos, and this kind of ***** went on all the time. End of st
  • dienaked, on 02/09/2008, -32/+14Italy=The next Thailand
  • knde, on 02/09/2008, -16/+285I always wonder in these cases, if the younger party (male or female) were to come forward and say, "I was willing...I agreed to all relations...I knew what I was doing etc" would that be taken into consideration?

    I tend to agree with Simonetta Matone, a judge in the article who says that, “Every relationship is a relationship and the real maturity, whether physical or psychological, of the minor must be weighed, with the help of experts.”
    According to the EJI (http://www.eji.org/eji/reports/cruelandunusual), they have documented 73 cases in the U.S., where 13 and 14 year-old children have been tried as adults, mostly for violent crimes. So is the message we are trying to send; teenagers understand violence but not sex?

    Whether we would like to admit it to ourselves, there are female teenagers who are intentionally sexually active (engaging in sex with no external pressure from others) and intentionally seeking sexual partners (be they younger or older men or women).

    I feel there should be a standard test or procedure to gauge all such interactions. It should be able to discern maturity levels, mutual consent, sexual behaviour and understanding between both parties.

    The articles states the 13 year-old girl sent a “stream of torrid text messages”. Do we automatically dismiss her actions as “Oh she’s too young! She didn’t know what she was doing?” If she had instead shot and killed someone, would we be saying the same thing?
    • norman619, on 02/09/2008, -64/+11You forgetting they aren't adults? A 13 year old can't make mature decisions. Why do you think the parents are legally responsible for their children till they become adults or are emancipated? Sorry but any adult that thinks it's fine to pursue a child for a romantic or sexual relationship is sick in the head and should be locked away. You can try to rationalize this all you like but in the end it's a case of an adult taking advantage of mentally immature minor or a mentally screwed up minor. This is NEVER OK and those who do this should be taken out of society.
      • knde, on 02/09/2008, -8/+75And adults are of course ALWAYS mentally mature??? No one is condoning taking advantage of minors. All one is saying, is that not all minors are of the same mental capacity or reasoning. To generalize in such a fashion, is of no use to anyone.

        And not to be rude, but your statement, "A 13 year-old can't make mature decisions" is a very Westernized point of view. I have seen children be the sole providers for their family, in West African countries. I have met 13 to 19 year old refugees of the Sierra Leone war (I'm half Sierra Leonean), who have more maturity than I do, with my 20+ years. I have seen my male friends been offered sex by teenage girls in Ibiza (for money or even a few beers). I also remember my teenage years, and know very well what teenage girls are capable of. And likewise, I have met 20+ year-olds who still need their parents to hold their hands!

        I simply disagree with the opinion that ALL 13 year olds aren’t capable of making any decisions concerning their sexuality. That is simply not a logical assumption. Thus the need for such cases to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

        Also are we to believe that if the male in question was say between 13 to 16 years-old, you would still charge the 13 year-old girl with being mentally immature?
        • norman619, on 02/09/2008, -55/+6Something tells me you're a Chester
          • knde, on 02/09/2008, -4/+30I'm afraid I don't know what that means...but I'm sure it's a lovely compliment :-)

            All in all, I'm sure we can agree to disagree without being ugly about it.
          • Aitese, on 02/09/2008, -5/+30Chester...rhyming slang for child molester.

            Neither funny, clever or necessary Norm.
        • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -22/+513 year olds do not have the maturity to know how to make a proper decision when it comes to sex. It is far too easy for an adult to manipulate them. This is why we have these laws. They are there to protect the kids. Whether or not you think this particular 13 year old is mature enough is immaterial. As is the argument that not all adults are mentally mature, because most are. You cannot have judges reducing sentences because they think the minor was willing because it will encourage others to engage in such acts with the idea that they will be let off easy if caught. This will create predators acting where they had not before because they need not fear so much about retribution.
          • shaelen, on 02/09/2008, -4/+23That's strange, I remember being 13, and I knew how to make a proper decision when it came to sex. Was I the only one, ever?
          • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -10/+4@shaelen. Perhaps you did. Perhaps you didn't. I doubt you did have sex at that age, but if you did it was probably somebody close to your age and not somebody 30 years older than you trying to coerce you.
          • radu79, on 02/09/2008, -1/+11Ok, so they do not have the maturity to decide what they want to do with their bodies (and this includes not only sex, but also drinking and smoking). But on the other hand, they are mature enough to be put on trial as adults, and in some cases spend their life in prison, yes?
          • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6@radu79. No, they shouldn't be. If anything, they should be spending their time in psychiatric facilities, depending on the type of crime.
          • radu79, on 02/09/2008, -2/+7We are not talking about what should or shouldn't be, we are talking about what it is now. I don't think the current laws are fair at all, there is a lot of doublethink involved. And the psychiatric facilities is not that much better than jail, you know?
          • dylangaine, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5LBob, the difference here is you're making a generalization based on a persons age whereas Knde is saying under certain circumstances, the generalization may not apply. In this particular case, there was a judge and the court system upheld the judges decision. So, the judge weighed evidence before coming to a decision which I think, is the most thoughtful way to go about things rather than treat things in black and white. In this country, we have made some terrible judgements based on knee jerk reactions which we have later found to be short-sighted and flat out wrong.

            If we become a society where we forget that sometimes individual circumstances may fall outside of generalizations, I think we will eventually see all people as stereotypes an prohibts us from learning about the uniqueness of each person or situation.
        • eir574, on 02/09/2008, -3/+6Yes, it's a westernized point of view, but isn't that okay? In many western societies, a large proportion of kids of that age don't have the kind of life experience that the types of teenagers you're talking about have. When kids don't yet have the kind of experience they need to predict the consequences of their actions, they may not know that they're not mature enough to date 34 year old men, and hence may give out strong signals to the contrary. Using that as a mitigating factor in prosecuting cases like this scares me a little.
          • Asidic, on 02/09/2008, -2/+4The needs of the many impede the wants of the few.
          • noahhoward, on 02/09/2008, -1/+5"In many western societies, a large proportion of kids of that age don't have the kind of life experience that the types of teenagers you're talking about have."

            Which is exactly why this needs to be tried on a case by case basis not on some arbitrary age limit. We're not all the same and we do not mature at the same rate.
          • eir574, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1@noahhoward: I'm not talking about cases where an 19 year old has sex with a 17 year old. Are you saying that there are no situations of an older person having sex with a minor that are always inappropriate? Let's say you have a 13 year old daughter who is, by some objective standard, particularly mature (not that I believe such a standard is easy to construct). Without your knowledge, some 34 year old man is having sex with her. Are you saying you'd be okay with that? If that man really loved her, I'd think he'd let her just be a kid for a little while longer and focus on school and a normal childhood.

            Plus, when we tell potential pedophiles that they're off the hook if their victim is judged to be mature for his/her age, that's a particularly huge loophole. I think the best interest of society is to protect every 13 year old from potential predators, even if it means that in a few cases true love has to wait a few years.
      • shaelen, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6That's strange, I remember being 13, and I knew how to make a proper decision when it came to sex. Was I the only one, ever?
    • Aitese, on 02/09/2008, -11/+24She may well understand the consequences of a sexual relationship, she may be emotionally mature if not physically, but the fact remains that there's no way to accurately measure the abstract construct we call adulthood. Yes we can measure the age of a person, but maturity and age are two very different things that are not necessarily linked. With that in mind laws are in place to protect those that may be vulnerable.

      An inaccurate catch-all law that means a small number of mentally advanced children have to wait a few years for sex is better than an inaccurate catch-all law that would permit the majority of unready kids out there to be exposed to things they don't understand way too early.

      This Adult male should know that even if he feels she's mentally ready A: there are still laws that forbid it and B: he's no psychological expert and in no way qualified to make a judgment on her mental state.
      • smotpoker, on 02/09/2008, -3/+13Inaccurate catchall laws should be scrutinized with utmost care. They are, after all, *inaccurate*. This implies some level of ambiguity and some room for interpretation. A lot of people have trouble distinguishing black/white issues from the grey sometimes...

        There are fairly accurate methods of monitoring brain activity to measure various levels of emotional and logical comprehension as well as psychological evaluations. I would agree as a rule of thumb any age difference > 3 years is bad, especially concerning minors, but wouldn't presume to impose that view on everyone. My uncle married his wife when she was 14 and he was 18, they have been together 32 years now with 3 kids and 5 grandkids and are happy
        • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -0/+418 and 14 is legal in many places. There are often laws that let 18 and 19 year olds have sexual relationships with younger people so they don't get jailed just because they had a birthday.
        • eir574, on 02/09/2008, -1/+1Let's say your uncle and his wife were a little further apart in age, or a bit younger, so that marrying would typically have been illegal in the US. Would they have had any less of a good life if the law had required them to wait a couple of years? Would requiring a minority of cases like this to wait a year or two be worth it as the price for protecting kids from predators? (Think about it in this day and age, not 32 years ago when your uncle got married. Times change, and society's view of what kind of protection we owe our children changes.)
      • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -7/+3Well put. It is about protecting the majority that could get taken advantage of, not restricting the minority that might be inconvenienced for a few years.
      • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5How exactly could an inaccurate (read: arbitrary) catchall protect more underdeveloped children than a system that would take all knowable factors into account and judge each case on its own merits?
        • Aitese, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1The point is a law that took in all knowable factors cannot be implemented. Well it COULD but it would take a massive level of civil liberty violations to get it done...EVERY child of a given age would have to go through a psychological assessment so they could be given a sex license.
        • cyb3rdemon, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1Doesn't seem like a civil rights violation, if the test is optional. That is actually a very good idea. If we have driver's licenses, why not sex licenses?
      • noahhoward, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3"In many western societies, a large proportion of kids of that age don't have the kind of life experience that the types of teenagers you're talking about have."

        Which is exactly why there should not be a blanket determination of the age. Determine it on a case by case basis that is what judges are paid to do not to ruin lives based on some arbitrary concept of what the kid can or can't do.
    • Orb9, on 02/09/2008, -18/+1Or.. just not have sex with anyone under 18
      • Orb9, on 02/10/2008, -0/+1How do I get dug down for suggesting that adults not have sex with minors?
    • LordFuxxles, on 02/09/2008, -1/+53I very much agree with knde I'm afraid. Having grown up in the U.K I see a disturbing obsession with child abuse in the media. It's become such a modern day witch hunt. Now as I stated before, I agree with knde on this, so I believe there is a grey area in the teenage years rather than there being a switch that turns from childish to mature when a teenager hits the age of consent (16 here). The accusations that someone is "sick in the head" if they're attracted to an attractive pyhsically and mentally mature teenager is clearly demonstrative that many people let their laws define their morals, rather than let their morals define their laws. In this case being the arbitrary legal age of consent that varies largely from country to country.
      • LBobRife, on 02/09/2008, -21/+2In the case of physically mature teenagers, it is not a question of sexual attraction, but taking advantage of somebody who cannot rationally make a decision on the subject.
        • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+4He was talking specifically about the accusation that such a person is "sick in the head", which is obviously ridiculous regardless of the laws. You completely missed his point.
        • Myztry, on 02/09/2008, -1/+4It horrifies me when I see Down Syndrome couples together. It's quite legal for them to fornicate as they are adults. But they are usually significantly less mentally developed then a 13 year old. Not to mention the poor offspring derived from two seriously flawed gene pools.
          Simply applying boolean logic to sexually maturity is a flawed concept. Right and Wrong is not simply a mathematical formula.
          • shaelen, on 02/09/2008, -2/+1So it's up to people like you to decide what is a superior gene pool?

            Who are you to suggest people with Down Syndrome aren't more qualified to rule the Earth?

            Wouldn't it be a better place, after all?
          • Myztry, on 02/10/2008, -0/+2Rule the Earth? Well that's a jump in logic. The issue was rational decision.
            DS kids are hardly angels. We had about a half a dozen at High School with their own facilities and teachers. They we allowed to mix fairly freely with with the other students. They had a serious problem with self control.
            One used to expose himself and chase students (both sexes). Another had a contact aversion, and would pummel anyone who bumped him. No holding back. Yet another had an obsession with the canteen and would scream at canteen staff who wouldn't serve, or students who wouldn't give him money.
            Generally they were nice, but you definitely had to treat them as tamed as their raw human instinct wasn't far under the surface. They are after all, only human, and all that entails.
      • funkywood, on 02/10/2008, -0/+3The other thing that most people miss is the lowering of morals that comes about through blurring the line between rapist, child molesting paedophiles and any guy who is attracted to young but sexually mature girls and ends up in a mutually agreed relationship.

        Yes, it is definitely not a good thing for them to be having sex as men who do get into that situation are generally less responsible and would probably disappear if she got pregnant, but these men will get some sympathy from other men who could easily see themselves doing the same. Through ignorance they could easy start to think that these paedophiles are being treated too harshly.

        The extending of the witch hunt from the few child pornographers who f-ck their victims' lives up to the vast numbers who are enamoured by girls and who probably teach their 'victims' a few things is a serious mistake of the media to grab more stories.
    • rickytan, on 02/09/2008, -2/+6You support a standardized test for maturity?
      • trashsportcat, on 02/09/2008, -1/+9It would be better than to base it on absolutely nothing than a random number.
      • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5I don't speak for him, but I for one support laws by which each case, and each individual, are judged on their own merits with as many pertinent factors as possible being considered. Call me crazy, but I tend to think that's how justice should always be decided.
    • sportbikepilot, on 02/09/2008, -17/+1I don't think the problem is teen girls and boys wanting to have sex... it's the sick older ***** that want to have sex with them.
      • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -1/+10There's nothing sick about finding a sexually mature human attractive no matter how many times they've been around the sun. It might be morally wrong to have sex with them, but it's simply instinct to be attracted.
        • sportbikepilot, on 02/09/2008, -6/+1I beg to differ. there is a huge difference between finding someone attractive, and being attracted to them. you can't seriously say it's o.k. for a 34 yo to want to *****/have a relationship with a 13 yo.
    • Jibaku, on 02/09/2008, -3/+15Completely agree with you here. I don't age discriminate; I have friends across the age gammut, the youngest of whom was 12 when I was 23. She and others I've known are smarter at 13 than many "adults" of 30+. I'm not joking, this kid was teaching me politics and passionately anti-Bush when Bush was still popular.

      I've also had a brief online romance with someone who I readily admit was far more sophisticated than I, and they turned out to be less than legal as well. To say nothing of the fact that I was experimenting sexually, myself, as early as eight and getting mistaken for twice my age online at 16.
      • Timmmm, on 02/09/2008, -3/+3"mistaken for twice my age online at 16."

        Because it's so easy to guess someone's age online! How old am I?
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+10Wow, well said. That's way too reasonable to ever catch on in popular consciousness, though.
    • qwuinc, on 02/09/2008, -0/+7As usual, knde's comments make sense and are well thought out. I wish more digg users made as much sense.

      I agree that there's no magic number that determines when someone becomes an adult. I think for this reason age of consent varies, and countries like mine allow the president, when requested, give a permission for an underage couple to marry (otherwise I think the age limit for marriage is 18).
    • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3totally agree dude
    • vermax, on 02/09/2008, -0/+8absolutely, of course, obviously, yes. thanks. this arbitrary-age zero-tolerance shrillness is just so ridiculous. and the dual standards for teenage boys and older women: most people just snicker and say yeah, so? or are secretly thinking it. this is where the term "liberal fascism" most clearly does in fact apply.
      how's that abstinence education working out btw?
    • knde, on 02/09/2008, -0/+12I think there may have been some confusion as to what I was suggesting in my original post. So let me try again:

      I know for a fact, that somewhere right now, there is a 13-17 year-old female engaging in sexual activity with an older man (10+ years). This female made the choice to herself, understands the consequences, and feels safe and secure in her interactions with this man.

      I also know for a fact, that somewhere right now, there is a 13-17 year-old female engaging in sexual activity with an older man (10+ years). This female was unduly coerced into it, does not understand the situation, and does not feel safe or secure in her interactions with this man.

      One of these is NOT like the other….thus the need for a case-by-case approach. That is ALL I’m saying.

      p.s Qwuinc, I do insist on making an effort to be polite and articulate online, simply because it’s to easy to do the opposite. They say “There’s no winning on the Internets”, but I still try (yes I know…I’m rather sad!).
    • trashsportcat, on 02/11/2008, -0/+1random comment to add another frame.
  • jcroisant4, on 02/09/2008, -26/+9 . . . now the 13 yo girl's father won't have to wait too long to let the 34 yo dude know how HE feels.
  • xTerrySchiav0x, on 02/09/2008, -4/+87- he took her to see Hannah Montana at the movies and thats where the love connection began - dirty slut is using him
  • iPissExcellence, on 02/09/2008, -6/+42"My appeal to 13-year-olds is to wait for your time." My appeal to 13 year olds... heh
    • microbefox, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2Haha yeah wrong choice of words. I loled
  • cheeseysynapse, on 02/09/2008, -5/+64i can't wait til i'm 34! finally those freshman chicks will go out with me!
  • azbmr, on 02/09/2008, -21/+4WTF
  • fitqueenb, on 02/09/2008, -30/+6he is one sick puppy!
  • nepawoods, on 02/09/2008, -2/+126"She was fifteen years old, going on thirty-five, Doc, and she told me she was eighteen, she was very willing, I practically had to take to sewing my pants shut. Between you and me, uh, she might have been fifteen, but when you get that little red beaver right up there in front of you, I don't think it's crazy at all and I don't think you do either. No man alive could resist that, and that's why I got into jail to begin with."

    --- Jack Nicholson as McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
    • ToeCracker, on 02/09/2008, -8/+5Yep . . . no 40 year old virgins in Italy.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+22If that movie came out today that scene would've been censored five ways from sunday, and had it somehow came out there would've been a huge uproar from all the idiots who seem to have confused statutory rape laws with pedophilia. What exactly has changed in the years since it's release that makes that so?
      • noahhoward, on 02/09/2008, -1/+7We've allowed laws set by prudish elitists who don't think we can take care of ourselves to distort our perception of right and wrong... again.
      • nepawoods, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3"If that movie came out today that scene would've been censored ..."

        True, and sad, as it's a far more damaging (to a free society), yet largely unseen, restriction of free speech than some of the cases we see protested every day.
    • mcduckov, on 02/09/2008, -1/+7I'm sure someone says this further down. Anyway, if you consider it from a anthropological viewpoint it makes perfect sense that men are attracted to women most when they are fairly early in their pubescence. That is when infant mortality is lowest, when they are most fertile and you have the best chance of being the first one on the scene, so to speak.

      Having said that we have had to come up with SOMEthing because we're living so much longer than we used to. We've tried to reconcile a society that has lots of 30,40,50,60 year olds with instincts that developed over millions of years when there was no such demographic. It will never be 100% pure or logical.
  • Sp1k3, on 02/09/2008, -11/+63I guess the obligatory 'pics or didn't happen' might be a just tad distasteful? ;)

    I'm evil.
  • Asianwaste, on 02/09/2008, -7/+24Awwwwww They're in love!
  • UltramegaOK, on 02/09/2008, -15/+17Who's the chick in the thumbnail???

    I'd tap
  • blasian, on 02/09/2008, -13/+47So i know its illegal...but i reeeaaaallly love pot..
  • Stonedonkey, on 02/09/2008, -8/+37When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie

    That's amore
  • shyboy2008, on 02/09/2008, -27/+16this crap wouldnt happen if Judge Judy was in charge
    • bluezinc, on 02/09/2008, -2/+11Any differing opinions on anything wouldn't happen if Judge Judy was in charge.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+7Because Judge Judy feels what's right and what's wrong in her gut, no need for reasoning to be involved.

      Kind of like Bush, actually.
    • itsgotyou, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1i rubbed the bottle and then a magical mist emanated from it. when the mist cleared i saw her on my bed. and this is how she ended up in my hotel room, your Honor.
  • will500, on 02/09/2008, -6/+18it's fine
  • Berkana, on 02/09/2008, -36/+4I'll tell you what's wrong with the judge; he himself may have had some affair of this sort, and doesn't want to shame himself. Either that, or the guy on trial is "upstat" and the judge is an infiltrator. Some of you know what I mean. http://sexual.taxexemptchildabuse.net/
    • LordFuxxles, on 02/09/2008, -3/+20Or he used his personal judgement in this case.
      • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -1/+3Without regard for the public's moral panic? He must be crazy!
    • shaelen, on 02/09/2008, -1/+7Is this some sort of reverse "projecting?" Usually, it's those who hate something and are most vocal about it who are the ones projecting what they hate about themselves onto others.
    • drgmdp, on 02/09/2008, -1/+7or maybe culture affects morals and therefore judgements?
  • surfer9joe, on 02/09/2008, -8/+2What does "execrable" mean?
    • Amadeus2490, on 02/09/2008, -2/+1deplorable: of very poor quality or condition; abominable

    • radu79, on 02/09/2008, -2/+3www.m-w.com
  • Rwned, on 02/09/2008, -15/+58The only relevant question is: Was she hot?

    Pics....?
    • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -2/+34yea man, you've just hit the central issue
  • neocognitism, on 02/09/2008, -5/+41Hasn't everybody seen The Professional?
    • Amadeus2490, on 02/09/2008, -1/+15Natalie Portman's been cute all her life. . .she just kinda changed "cuteness" as she aged.
    • drgmdp, on 02/09/2008, -2/+13and lolita? (both ones, though i prefer kubrick's)
    • petecampbell, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5I doubt this girls family was brutally murdered. Matilda fell in love with him for the good things he did for her, as she was that impressionable and needed something solid. With this, I think the girl was likely more manipulated initially than doing it out of free will.

      Also, Leon didn't have sex with Matilda.
      • Thumper13, on 02/09/2008, -1/+4I think he was referring to how a lot of people felt about a young Natalie Portman.....uh, at least that's what I hope he meant.
        Really judge, I was just trying to explain. I didn't mean anything....
        I'm getting off the internets now.
        • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -1/+1dude you cant hide your true self lol
  • xen0blue, on 02/09/2008, -9/+38it was CONSENTUAL
    • Amadeus2490, on 02/09/2008, -12/+6More like "conSENSUAL."

      kehehehehe
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -2/+19IF YOU MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN CONSENSUAL STATUTORY RAPE AND BRUTAL, FORCED CHILD RAPE YOU MUST BE A PEDO!!!!!!!!!! WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN???

      /sarcasm
  • uazzhole, on 02/09/2008, -7/+83And if it was the other way around "34 female-13 male" it wouldn't be a big deal......
    • howea, on 02/09/2008, -7/+25Yes it would ... it would bolster the fantasies of hormonal 13yo boys everywhere.
      • Amadeus2490, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2And it would make Kev laugh and play "bah-oo-wwaahhow" on the guitar, and then smitty would smile really big and press the kick drum while doing a trillo on the hats.

        And the singer Vicky would do. . .whatever the hell it is she does. No one gives a ***** about her.
    • Amadeus2490, on 02/09/2008, -4/+14It would get a lame joke in Jay Leno's headline.
      • bluezinc, on 02/09/2008, -2/+4God that man is unfunny. He must have some natural talent for sucking the laughs out of comedy.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -2/+14...Nice.
    • HellDonut, on 02/09/2008, -2/+5Actually it was, there was several similar cases in the US recently and in all of them the woman was convicted.

      Which is pretty crazy, considering in many of those cases the woman was pretty hot.
      • dema, on 02/09/2008, -1/+4I actually knew a guy in high school who had consensual sex with a teacher numerous times. He was 16 and she was in her thirties. She went to jail for two years and as soon and she got out they got back together. I believe they are still together today, but I haven't talked to the guy in a while.
    • renegadeafk, on 02/09/2008, -1/+3niiiiiceeeeeeeeee
    • warlokaz2004, on 02/09/2008, -1/+11a 13 year old girl is a 'victim' even if she initiated it, a 13 year old boy gets an 'attaboy' even if he was the pursued
  • K7Avenger, on 02/09/2008, -6/+46I see no problem here.
  • KodomoNoJikan, on 02/09/2008, -8/+26You know what they say:
    Old enough to read, old enough to breed!
    • Berkana, on 02/09/2008, -14/+5Who the ***** says that? Muhammad?
    • itsgotyou, on 02/09/2008, -0/+6old enough to bleed, old enough to breed. was the actual saying. (i think)
    • absurdist, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1Old enough to bleed, old enough to butcher.
      Or, old enough to pee, old enough for me.
      As long as the Scotch you're drinking is older than the female you're with, everything's fine. ;)
    • jo3design, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3So why is dating like blackjack?

      You want to get as close to 21 without going over.

      Most people stay on 17.
  • momsshizzle, on 02/09/2008, -4/+10Good for them.
  • Rtsight, on 02/09/2008, -2/+23"> WTF is wrong with the judge?"

    Wtf are you suggesting? 3/4 high schoolers did it. If there were charges and 12-possible-year sentence against them, college would be a whole lot different.
  • spanglegluppet, on 02/09/2008, -21/+6I'm a 15-year-old male who lost his then-14-year-old girlfriend to a 34-year-old man. So I know that this stuff is pretty sickening.
    • LanEvo, on 02/09/2008, -3/+24why don't you cal a waaaaaaaaaaambulance
    • drgmdp, on 02/09/2008, -3/+7was she hot?
    • ReadItAndWeep, on 02/09/2008, -0/+7Don't hate the playa, hate the game. Take this opportunity to learn from your elders and what tricks they use to attract horny females.
    • manicmailman, on 02/09/2008, -1/+2oh no no no nonono no no.... no you're not.... i almost fell for it...
      but as a matter of fact... im the girl in the article.... and actually the man as well... so i totally know how it feels.. both sides.... but i also don't care... because i am also the judge...
  • insomniac8400, on 02/09/2008, -12/+4What is sickening are the people who wants to blame a 34 year old man for the failure of his girlfriend's parents.
    • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -1/+1what do you imply? the failure of Vogue magazine and similar crap to screw up healthy-thinking minds across the world?
      • insomniac8400, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1I'm implying is that this 13 year old could have picked up any old guy without her parents knowing. She could have found a guy that instead of a relationship wanted to tie her up in a basement and rape her to death. This is why the parents are responsible for this. You can't expect someone else to protect your child, you have to do it.
  • SLuM, on 02/09/2008, -9/+75What's wrong? 13 years old is pretty old and probably past puberty. Seriously let's stop pretending sex is a sin. If it was a 9 year old I'd understand but at thirteen, most teens know the risks of having sex and what it does to their lives.
    • itsgotyou, on 02/09/2008, -2/+0i had sex with my English teacher when I was 13, I'm only saying this now because i still feel a bit embarrassed. Mr. Wilson did so many unspeakable things to my bunghole.
  • SLuM, on 02/09/2008, -18/+7What's wrong? 13 years old is pretty old and probably past puberty. Seriously let's stop pretending sex is a sin. If it was a 9 year old I'd understand but at thirteen, most teens know the risks of having sex and what it does to their lives.
  • hamidious, on 02/09/2008, -13/+10Ok, I don't know if 13 years old is old enough or not, some girls actually get married at that age. The thing is, if it was such a big deal, WTF where her parents doing while she was playing digg me in the car with that guy. I think if any crime was committed, it's the parents that should be sued, not this guy.
  • hamidious, on 02/09/2008, -14/+2Ok, I don't know if 13 years old is old enough or not, some girls actually get married at that age. The thing is, if it was such a big deal, WTF where her parents doing while she was playing digg me in the car with that guy? I think if any crime was committed, it's the parents that should be sued, not this guy.
  • SLuM, on 02/09/2008, -20/+2What's wrong? 13 years old is pretty old and probably past puberty. Seriously let's stop pretending sex is a sin. If it was a 9 year old I'd understand but at thirteen, most teens know the risks of having sex and what it does to their lives.
  • caponumen, on 02/09/2008, -14/+78Keep your lame morality to yourselves, 13 is an old woman in some parts of the world.
    Not a single US citizen has any moral high ground to judge anyone anywhere in the world, you and your neighbors are covered in women and children's blood and your hypocritical world view is simply retched..........
    • jasmin888, on 02/09/2008, -7/+17Second that completely.
      US is developing in to a new anti-love, pro violence Taliban state
    • tifosiuno, on 02/09/2008, -16/+6Stay away from my daughter you freaks! 13 is old enough WTF are you thinking?!
      • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -3/+5it might not be old enough for your daughter, but in different environments, people mature faster ...
      • rune420, on 02/09/2008, -3/+5I completely agree with tifosiuno. If I had a 13 year old daughter and some pervy 34 year old tried to make a move on her, I don't care how consentual it might have been, but my fists would certainly consent on giving him a good beating.
      • absurdist, on 02/09/2008, -3/+3Yes, of course, because your daughter is sweet and innocent and pure.

        When she's around you.
        • rune420, on 02/09/2008, -1/+3Like I said, I don't care if it's consentual. Sometimes good parents don't let their kids to do certain things, even though they really want to. Just like I wouldn't let my 13 year old son do drugs, even if he really wanted to.
          I realize that you would probably applaud your 13 year old daughter if she was giving blowjobs on the strip for 5 dollars a piece, but that's not how I want to raise any kids I might have.
          • absurdist, on 02/09/2008, -1/+3Which misses my point entirely. Do you really think your 13 y.o. daughter is the same person around you as she is around her friends? If you do, you're delusional, or another adult who's completely forgotten what it's like being a teenager.
          • rune420, on 02/09/2008, -1/+3So I should condone her sleeping with old men because she acts promiscous when she's with her friends? The axioms of your logical deduction are on thin ice.
          • absurdist, on 02/10/2008, -1/+3Once again you miss the point. Seeing that you seem to be denser than lead, let me clarify it for you. It's not a matter of you condoning it. It's a matter of you not having the degree of control that you seem to desperately want to believe you have.
          • rune420, on 02/10/2008, -2/+1OK sure. If she goes around sleeping with grown men behind my back and was really good at hiding it I guess there's not much I can do. This doesn't make me any less against it however, and I don't really see how that's an argument against tifosuino .
      • Spoomeister, on 02/09/2008, -3/+3I guarantee that the vast majority of people digging you down are not parents.
        I agree with you.
    • Snuxoll, on 02/09/2008, -2/+10Agreed, not every place in the world treats teenagers as idiots until they age to a arbitrary number. Seriously, before we got all high and mighty a little over 100 years ago people were getting married and having families at 13! Time passes and suddenly BLASPHEMY!
      The rest of you need to get over it, teenagers aren't inherently idiots!
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -3/+6A majority of Americans are against the war, so it's not exactly fair to say we're all covered in blood. I daresay your own government has done immoral things that you don't approve of.
      • Myztry, on 02/09/2008, -1/+4(British) Australia was brutal to the Aboriginals when the English first colonized. And made a big f'up with 're-organizing' the displaced natives during the 50?'s
        But that's about it...
      • adooga, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1If you voted for Bush, you've got a lot of blood on your hands, period.
    • eryximachus, on 02/09/2008, -1/+13The age of consent in Italy was 12 from the days of the Roman Republic until maybe 20 years ago.

    • manicmailman, on 02/09/2008, -4/+0wretched...
    • ilovemaria, on 02/09/2008, -4/+3here's the anti-us brigade! would you be so accepting if it was your daughter? have fun with your enlightened morals when your kid is preggers
  • usingpond, on 02/09/2008, -9/+21Sweet, I'm moving to Italy!
  • CaviMike, on 02/09/2008, -15/+1I could see this happening in America but not in Italy.
    • IAmLegend24, on 02/09/2008, -0/+1How a 17 year old can get sent to jail for having sex with a 16 year old in America.
  • DavidGX, on 02/09/2008, -2/+11Maybe it WAS? There are exceptions to every rule, people. Buried.
  • Dunge, on 02/09/2008, -6/+4Now the girl have to cope with the lost of her "love"...
    • kingmanic, on 02/09/2008, -3/+4at 13 every relationship a girl has from friends to pets to her backpack is 'love'.
    • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -1/+1they are attempting to digg you down, but i support you
  • pimpofpixels, on 02/09/2008, -4/+27You could get married at the age of 12 in this country just 150 years ago. You could get married at 15 just 90 years ago. It's not like he had is sentance revoked, just shortened. This is such a taboo subject, but it's such a common practice historically.
    • Aeomyr, on 02/09/2008, -2/+5Here in the UK legal age is 16. I read somewhere in Canada its 14... not sure if thats true.
      • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -0/+4in austria, the legal age is 14 if the age difference is less than 3 years (i think ... maybe 4) and 16 reguardless the age difference.
      • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2It's even 14 still in a few American states.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3Thanks for being the first person in this comment thread to point out an important concept that some people seem to be missing: the sentence was reduced, not dropped. The judge is still saying it was illegal and the man deserves serious punishment, it just wasn't quite as heinous an act.
    • Myztry, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2But young breeding has become disruptive to the workforce. People should be put to work while age decrees they can be paid low wages. Re-production can happen after careers.
      The children born to aging mothers with deteriorated reproductive systems have nice low birth weights, and income producing birth defects. Economics first.
  • StanleyKoolPrik, on 02/09/2008, -16/+4Fuggun Italian pederasts.
  • DesertDude, on 02/09/2008, -3/+52FTA: "The law should safeguard young girls who are too immature to make these decisions against adults without scruples"

    Exactly. Anyone under 18 has rocks for brains. The INSTANT they turn 18, their brains magically appear. Thanks to the prosecutor (and the US mentality) for letting us know this fact.

    I wonder what would've happened to this guy in the land of morality (the US). Luckily for him, Italian judges don't have the intention to destroy everything in the name of "protecting children". I swear US judges and society have ***** for brains when it comes to these things.
    • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -0/+10"Anyone under 18 has rocks for brains. The INSTANT they turn 18, their brains magically appear. Thanks to the prosecutor (and the US mentality) for letting us know this fact."

      my irony detector is pointing to lulz :)
    • Recluse84, on 02/09/2008, -1/+1Love how everyone acts like the U.S. is the only country with these laws and high-horse judges. The U.S. is to blame for "in love" pedophiles around the world being thrown in jail!

      And now, for the digg downs..
      • EarlOfLade, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3I don't know of any other country that has laws regulating how far away from various types of buildings, a registered sex-offender can live.
        It's almost like ghetto's and the sex-register reminds me of the stars jews had to be marked with in Germany some years ago.
        • itsgotyou, on 02/09/2008, -2/+2Jews didn't ***** 6 year old boys in the ass though.
    • anguisinherba, on 02/09/2008, -2/+2I don't care about morality. But it is scientifically true that decision-making capacities of 13 year olds are lacking due to incomplete development of the prefrontal cortex.
      • masgrada, on 02/09/2008, -0/+4Until age 22 wasn't it? No sex 'till 22, good idea.
    • ilovemaria, on 02/09/2008, -0/+2kids are dumb. adults are dumb. exhibit A: planet earth
    • xNIBx, on 02/10/2008, -2/+1The law cant know how mature or how responsible the 13 is. So they put a general age limit and the actual sentence is decided by the judge(and in accordance to the specific case). You can moan all you want about consentual sex between 30 and 13 year olds but the truth is that 13 year olds are highly unlikely to be mature enough to take that decision.

      Moreover, the 30 year old has a huge mental and economic advantage over her, which makes the whole "relation" even more ***** up. If you really want to screw a 13 year old, then wait 3-5(depending on your country) and then if she still wants you, ***** all day long. The truth is that by then, the then 16-18 year old would have forgotten you and not give a damn about you(because she would be more mature and she can manage her personal/sex life more responsible).

      So no, you dont magically grow a brain at 18, but chances are that most 18 year olds can responsibly decide what they want. While 13 years olds cant.
  • chuckles08, on 02/09/2008, -3/+47heck when i was 13 years old i was ready to give it up for my female gym teacher who always wore these real short skirts and sat on the desk often revealing a lot of ass and thigh. i know what she was really up to now, damn i should have hit that.
  • kingmanic, on 02/09/2008, -25/+6Wow, dig just exploded into the pedo central. A 30+ year old man and a 13 year old girl is not a good situation in this day and age. Biblically mary was around there and Josephine a bit shy of 30. But back then 40 was end of the line for most. As well there is too much of a disparity in power in that relationship. Might have been fine 1500 years ago but relationships now require a bit more consent/equality. She isn't able to make decision for herself. I know the line is arbitrary but it's set, but really what 13 year old is currently equipped enough to face the world? the world is much more complex then before. The word for the guy is predator. The word for the girl is victim. It's not arbitrary morality or anti-sex. If she was bophing her 15 year old neighbor, great. They both have aprox equal social footing and she can make decisions within that relation that counts. 30 year old creep? NO. repeat after me, 13 year olds ought not sleep with 30 year olds in this day and age!
    • pimpofpixels, on 02/09/2008, -3/+4He's still going to prison for over a year. I think it's important to recognise nuance in this situation. His sentence was reduced because she loved him and initiated the relationship. My Great Grandmother got married at 13 and it was apparently now big thing. No it's a taboo, but I don't that that it's appropriate to go head over hells with hatred over something that has been happening for thousands of years without any major social consequence. I agree that it's wrong, but I think that both of their lives are probably worse off from intervention than they would have been had they been allowed to stay together.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6By definition, nothing involving a 13 year old could be related to pedophilia. But don't let facts get in the way of you just KNOW is right.
  • jasmin888, on 02/09/2008, -12/+36Anything 'sex' has the US scared ***** while you in a blink of an eye you send your young men and women out to kill thousands of innocent civilians. You support torture and free access to guns.
    To me it looks like a death cult.
    • jacenat, on 02/09/2008, -4/+11"To me it looks like a death cult."
      wow ... if you are putting it that way i almost have to agree.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -5/+3The government does that, not the people. And of the people who support it, very few of them understand what it is they're really supporting.
    • xen0blue, on 02/09/2008, -4/+1so we kill innocent civilians? as a US army soldier, I think you should go ***** yourself. you terrorist-sympathizing coward.
      • adooga, on 02/16/2008, -0/+1Really? As a terrorist sympathiser I think you should eat ***** and die. You sniveling cowardly unthinking hired killer.
    • theblackgecko, on 02/09/2008, -3/+3Yet, one of the safest countries in the world, Switzerland (before the immigrants messed it up) has a much higher rate of ASSAULT WEAPON ownership than the United States.
    • ilovemaria, on 02/09/2008, -2/+2i'll take some waterboarding over an inquisition or holocaust. what innocent country do you live in?
  • tyfighter, on 02/09/2008, -8/+23I am so hard right now.
  • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -8/+2tsk tsk tsk.. buried, and i am taking a lot of satisfaction for doing so. Because to be consistent with this condenation, any children book, children TV program, etc. must BAN anything alluding to "kiss", "sex", "relashionship", "dad and mom love", "husband", "wife", "girlfriend", "boyfriend", "charming prince fairytale", etc. until the child is 13.
    I dont mind what is the law, but that law must be consistent.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -1/+2Huh?
    • mozert, on 02/09/2008, -1/+2yea digg me down if you want, but the truth is always hard to absorb
  • monkeyhoward, on 02/09/2008, -4/+53I don't get it.
    If a 13-14 year old kills someone, those who would protect us from all evil will pound their fists and demand that the young offender be treated as an adult. Yet if that same 13-14 year old has sex or consumes some manner of intoxicant, the same "protectors" will wail and moan about innocence lost and act as if someone as snatched a swaddled infant from it's cradle.
    Don't get me wrong. I don't think kids should be aloud to go around caping fools without some serious consequence and I don't think we should encourage 34 year old men to have sex with 13 year old girls.
    But some consistency would be nice.
    It seams sometimes as if, after they "grow up", some people completely forget what it was really like to be a teenager.
    • terminal157, on 02/09/2008, -0/+7You're looking for sanity in a system that has little respect for sanity.
    • soumynona, on 02/09/2008, -2/+0Hmmm, a 15 year old who guns down his parents and siblings versus the 15 year old who bonked some 30-something. Which one do you want as a neighbor? It may be a double standard and the issue of the teen competent enough to understand their legal situation, but when it's a vicious, brutal crime, I don't want that type living next to me.
    • KaJuN4, on 02/09/2008, -0/+3To monkeyhoward: that's best and most accurate Digg comment I've seen in a long, long time. You hit the nail right on the head. It's ridiculous how a kid can be classified as an adult when it suits what the government wants. Yet when it comes to something the kid might want they can't do it because they're not deemed mature enough.
  • fxu1989, on 02/09/2008, -1/+2***** man .. I'm in the wrong country!

    Well, my family is of Italian ancestry (grandfather and above), my last name is Italian .... I better get to Italy!!!
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 96 of 96 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.