Bill Roache - what next?

Notso is right. Many of the cases which have been brought to light now are the result of the Police reviewing allegations from 40/50 years ago which were 'no crimed' at the time. It is not the case that women are suddenly jumping on a bandwagon but rather that they will have been contacted by the Police and asked if they still want to persue the charge. I should imagine that many will have said that they do not want to dredge it up again and therefore the cases that are being prosecuted now are only the tip of the iceberg. As to evidence - there will be the statements which were recorded at the time and notes/photographs of any evidence which was found, perhaps also DNA samples which could not be processed back then. As someone else said above the CPS would not be proceeding unless they had sufficient evidence to make a strong case.

I was discussing this with some friends tonight whose main argument was to question what useful purpose was being served by raking over these historic allegations as at 81 Bill Roach was hardly likely to be a danger to young girls now. I asked them to consider if the crime was murder rather than rape and there was new evidence would they expect a prosecution and their answer was 'YES, but that is different'. I do not understand why so many people (including women) seem to percieve rape as a trivial matter.

I remember the pop and celebrity culture of the 1960s. No-one ever thought of protecting young pop 'groupies' against themselves: it was a sexual free-for-all, and the celebs never or rarely asked about a girl's age: they took the gratuitous sex as their right. I read someone who was there at the time say just that, namely they never checked ages. This was just after the Savile facts came out.

Among all that free sex I think it is quite probable that some young lasses will have been coerced, if not actually raped, but the sexual social mores at the time would have ensured that the feeling of personal shame would have silenced them, or they would have known that no-one would care.

One of my own boyfriends tried to force me to have sex with him once - I was a tough little so and so and successfully fought him off, but NO WAY would I have told anyone about it. I was just so ashamed I had been daft enough to let myself be so vulnerable. Girls often used to blame themselves - probably still do.

I reckon that more than Bill Roache are sweating on it all now!!

Yes Joan they seem to be dropping like flies at the minute and I wonder how many are just waiting for that knock in the door? Had a discussion about this with my sister las night and we agreed to disagree on the fact that rape is rape and it doesn't matter how long ago it was is it happened. Obviously the CPS feel that there is enough evidence against him (Bill Roache) to charge him with two counts of rape.

I have my suspicions who else might be on that list too.

I wait with interest to see how long it will be before Mick Jagger (well, any member of the Rolling Stones) Paul McCartney and what's left of the Beatles, and well, just about any pop star from that era up to the present, is dragged up for underage rape charges dating back from 40+ years ago. Not too sure about Cliff Richard though

There are rumours all over the Internet and even Cliff has been dragged in. All those 'fuddy-duddy' people who grumbled in the 60s about it being like Sodom and Gomorrah must be feeling vindicated now. The liberation of the 60s does seem to have thrown up some awful consequences. I loved the 60s but do remember some girls who came unstuck and had abortions and babies sent for adoption. I now realise there was so much more going on that I was completely unaware of.

Young women were having babies adopted well before the sixties. Maybe not so many abortions in earlier times because not so easily available.

But surely I can't be the only Gransnetter who wasn't unaware of what was going on and wasn't an innocent 'child' at the age of 15?

....and now we learn that last month Stuart Hall admitted indecently assaulting children as young as nine, and a rape has been left to lie on file. He has 'apologised' in court. Presumably he will be sentenced in a few weeks after re-sentence reports are prepared.

Pre-sentence, not re-sentence.

Yes just read this on Sky News when how disgusting. This is what makes me wonder who else will be "outed" in the near future.

Just had a rummage around the internet to see what's being put out there about abuse allegations, something I've never done before, and now I feel like I want to wash my mind after reading some of the horrible stuff I've seen.

I am glad Stuart Hall has been brought to justice. These offences may be historic for the offender, but for the victims they are not. I don't see that it makes any difference how old the offender is, or how long ago the offences were committed.

Child abuse is child abuse , however long ago it happened .

Leaves the child damaged for ever.

Stuart Hall now - the mind boggles. Whistle blowers were definitely needed - those who knew and did nothing are almost as guilty imho.

I agree granjura.

Stuart Hall: interesting to read a little of the 'back story' here.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/how-i-exposed-stuart-halls-abuse-yasmin-alibhaibrown-on-the-anonymous-letter-that-kickstarted-the-sex-assault-investigation-8601517.html

Petallus remembering myself and my friends when we were 14 and 15 there was a reason why we were known as Jailbait. We all survived unscathed but it was much more by luck than judgement.What we would have been like if we'd had access to celebrities I dread to think!

Can't imagine where William Roache found all his hundreds of women. The only time I met him I found him a comple nonentity and not even particularly goodlooking.

Good piece of journalism and responsible action taken by Yasmin Alibhai Brown there, ga. Isn't it refreshing to see that side of the media, after all the speculation and hype that we get so fed up of?

Thanks for the link, ga.

And nice too, that Yasmin Alibhai Brown paid tribute to the Lancashire Police for their 'exemplary professionalism and commitment'.

Yes, I was impressed with the credit she gave to the Police. Good for her, and them.

Re Stuart Hall

Article in todays paper from a 16 year old victim.

Firstly let me say rape of under age children (which he is guilty of) is abhorrent and he needs punishing.

However this girl says he put his hand up her skirt in the back of a car and has had depression and suicide attempts since over this.

Come on, as young girl, I, as I am sure many of you here, had chancers trying to put their hand up your skirt but I never this blight my life.

Still, got her name in the papers and I expect she wants compensation. Never mentioned it previously funnily enough although it happened about 40 years ago.

Well done Yasmin Alibhai Brown, and the Police, you dont always get to see the positive side of journalism and policing.

overthehill I have counselled the victims of this sort of assault, who were referred to get help because they were terrified and believed they would be raped. Some had been abused by others before that sort of incident, so not only did they re-live previous assaults and rapes but were traumatised by not being able to stop the perpetrator again.

Those of us who have dealt with someone trying it on as you describe your own experience will have a different level of resilience to such incidents.

Didn't he do a lot more than that? According to her letter, he groomed her and then assaulted her seriously several times.
For me, any man who has ever used his greater strength, power or wealth to have sexual contact of any kind, with any woman, of whatever age, against her wishes, deserves everything he gets.
If the girl is underage, it doesn't matter that she was willing - it is the responsibility of the adult to observe the law.
Everybody who makes excuses for these predatory men is complicit in the harm done to the victims.