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From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: The Dotson Case
Message-ID: <440@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-May-85 07:00:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.440
Posted: Mon May 27 07:00:34 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 07:51:21 EDT
References: <2220@decwrl.UUCP> <1030@vax1.fluke.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 36

> I have a question about this case, what is/should happen to the
> woman who lied?  Maybe it has already happened, I'm not a big news fan.
> 
> Should she be sentenced to jail on a perjury charge?  Should she be forced
> to serve as much time as the man she falsly accused?  Or should she have her
> "hand slapped"?
> 
> My personal opinion is that she deserves some punishment - on a par with
> what she caused to happen to the man.  Otherwise the fact that she lied will
> be used against the prosecution in future rape cases, even though this is
> surely a very isolated incident.
> 
> Peter B

I don't know what to think about this case.  The prosecutors, the police,
and the governor all examined the evidence, and all say that they still
believe Dotson is guilty.  The governor released Dotson because the woman
involved (why can't I remember her name?) doesn't want him in jail any more.
It's possible that the government just doesn't want to admit a mistake.
It's also possible that the woman really was raped, and now has some unspoken
reason for denying it.

The woman has made two contradictory statements under oath: that Dotson did
rape her, and that he didn't (at least, I think she made the latter statement
under oath).  If he really did rape her, I don't think she should be punished
for her second statement, because she has already been through a hell of a lot,
and doesn't deserve more, and her statement didn't cause a lot of damage.
If he didn't rape her, then she should be punished for her first statement.
It is not clear (to me, at least) which of these cases is the real one.  Until
we know for certain what happened, I think it's better to do nothing.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

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