Do you agree ?

Surely we are talking about rape here - and as a sentence for rape and a long thought out plan to rape, plus the psychological damage to a clearly naive and vulnerable girl, 8 years seems quite reasonable.

What would the sentence have been if this offence had been committed by a man. I bet a man accused of carefully plotting the rape and, say, using disguise and blindfolds to avoid being identified and with such a vulnerable victim would have got considerably more than 8 years.

When I was in school there was always the shadow of the cane as a final arbiter-fortunately/unfortunately-I don't know what happens there today.

It's a sad and horrible case for both parties and I don't think such a long prison sentence will help either of them. They both need to be given help, but it's highly unlikely they will get any.

She groomed and manipulated her victim. The continuous blindfold sounds bizarre to us but when you are in a relationship with a manipulator strange things become your norm. I know it's not the same but I didn't think it odd to make sure I bought identical bananas and put our names on them so that no one got a 'better' one than another.

A manipulator gets inside your head and normality becomes totally skewed.

It was rape. Informed consent was not given.

As to the punishment. It's the sentencing system that needs looking at. We need to get our priorities sorted out.

The Judgement is helpful both in setting out the legal framework but significantly the reasons behind the Judge's findings. Thanks when.

Thank you when

Here are the judge's sentencing comments:

www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/r-v-newlandsentencing.pdf

I was posting on iPad last night, apologies for spelling/predictive text. Thanks for clarifying the charge whenim64. It wasn't informed consent because she consented to intimacy with someone who didn't exist but was masquerading. I do feel uncomfortable with blaming the victim in this case, she is clearly very vulnerable. Many people are sadly totally duped by charming, manipulative people who fabricate stories to cover their deceit. I'm always shocked when older women send stacks of money to young men in Africa for example but vulnerability and the need for love make dangerous companions.

She was lucky to be charged with sexual assault by penetration and not rape - the sentence could have been even higher. The young woman she assaulted didn't give informed consent - she was groomed and duped into acts she would not have consented to, had she known who this offender was. It might be a heavy sentence in comparison with some that male sex offenders get, therefore she may get leave to appeal about the length of sentence.

Going back to OP I wonder if our confusion or in some cases outrage should not be with the sentencing guidelines rather than the sentences in individual cases themselves.
If 4 years is the maximum sentence for the rape of a six year old, there is something very, very wrong.
Like others I found my credibility stretched at reports of the victim wearing a blindfold at all times , even when "watching television together" . Both women are adults and there is no suggestion of force or rape, so I do not understand the sentence, but have to admit I am ignorant of the sentencing guidelines for this type of crime. Mental health issues have to come into it and perhaps a custodial sentence was the only way to ensure this.

I have not seen anything about this case so hard to comment.
However for anyone to set out to groom, dupe and sexually abuse someone known to be vulnerable whatever sex you are is totally inappropriate. I guess there was more to this than the headlines tell us to warrant a sentence that appears out of kilter to the other reported sentences for child rapists.

I agree that eight years seems harsh in comparison to other sentences. The judge was damning in his comments about the manipulation used by the offender. I'm not sure what the offence was high there clearly were offences given the guilty finding. The victim conceited to intercourse so it wasn't rape but the consent was to the man she believed she was in a relationship with, not to a woman who deceived and manipulated her.
The victim has been traumatised, and was I believe indecently assaulted because of the consent issue. Poor woman has probably lost what little confidence and self esteem she had.
I wonder if the sentence will be appealed. Cruel and manipulative she may be, but eight years still seems harsh

Would you all feel the same if a man had groomed the victim, assumed a false identity and deceived her into having perverted sex?

When do these things stop being "What we do in the privacy of our own homes"? Can't see that prison is appropriate, we know that most women in prison shouldn't be there so why add to them. Some sort of therapy would be far better _ but I suppose there is nothing available.

I should add, that they both seem to have a lot of problems.

It is a very weird case indeed, they met and had sex several times ( who wears a blindfold?)I can't see that a prison sentence is warranted at all, never mind for eight years, I think that therapy and counselling for both of the women would have been better.

Sorry! Last sentence should read 'I don't think the sentence is too harsh'

The woman who was convicted is a sex offender, period.
She schemed and groomed her vulnerable victim on Facebook and deceived and manipulated her. The judge said the discovery of the truth had a devastating impact on the victim.
Considering that she probably won't serve the full sentence, I don't think 8 years is lenient.

I find it very hard to believe that the victim here didn't realise that something was very odd about this liaison! 8 years in prison is way over the top for the perpetrator, psychiatric help is almost certainly needed here, but prison? What on earth good is that going to do?

I read about this case a few weeks ago in the Sunday Times - India Knight wrote an article about it.
Almost incredible , the naivety of the duped woman, even though she had been "groomed" online for a few weeks prior to the actual meeting. And both were university students.
But I agree 8 years is excessive, when no force was involved, and both were consenting adults.

Eight years seems a bit harsh considering the other examples given. And I agree with Ann about the naivety of the other woman, and she did it appears consent to sex, which is more than the 6-year old did.

I query the mental health of both, and apparently both had been questioning their sexuality. I do not think that it warrants 8 years although no doubt she would be out after 4 years.

It is really hard to form an opinion without the full facts and/or any mitigating factors in any of these cases. Sadly in many instances the sentences meted out will never be thought long enough by the victims' families or they will be thought too long by the perpetrators' families.
In the end you just have to hope that everyone gets the help they need to recover or reform and if any of us have the time and talents to help that we take any opportunity to do so whatever form that takes. Sadly it is a scary world out there for so many folks.

I agree and I question the naivety of the other woman. Did she just lie there and think of England? Did she take no part in the act at all? It seems just impossible to me that she would not have realised in seconds that there was something very peculiar about her partner unless she was handcuffed as well as blindfolded. I can't put it any more tactfully than than that.

Hard to tell without knowing all the details.. It was certainly a very strange case.

Glad to see that the murderer of the young girl has virtual life sentence.