I read today that former tv presenter John Leslie won't be charged with rape following an allegation made by a woman a couple of months ago. Now I'm no John Leslie fan, in fact I have no feelings towards Mr Leslie one way or another, but a tiny wee part of me couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him.An allegation of rape is every guys nightmare.
I had a lot of fun in my twenties with the opposite sex, and on more than one occasion woke up not only in a room I didn't recognise, but clearly having had unprotected sex with a woman I didn't recognize and completely unable to remember the bedroom gymnastics at all!
Given that I'm a man, and game for anything, all I felt was disappointed at my drink-fueled amnesia, but who's to say anyone else of either gender waking up in a similar situation would feel like I did? An allegation of rape, after admitting having no recollection of the act itself, would be virtually impossible to refute. 'My word against theirs' is hardly a viable defence if you're unsure of yourself.
John Leslie clearly likes sex. Some would say he's a sex addict, much like Michael Douglas claimed to be, but what goes on behind closed consenting doors is fine by me, I'm no judge.
He may well be a rapist, how the fuck would I know? That's what courts are for, but I think that it's about time that the law in this country was changed to protect the anonymity of both parties, not just the complainant. The waters seem a bit muddy to me.
