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In reply to the discussion: EXCLUSIVE: Parents of underage victim in Kate Hunt's case defend actions [View all]AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)They didn't wait until she turned 18 to report it. She was 18 before the relationship started. 6 months before Kate was arrested.
Kate's parents had an opportunity to be honest, and stand up and say 'look, we don't believe this was wrong, our daughter is not a predator, they were in love, and just fell outside arbitrary legal definitions' and I'd be totally on board, EVEN WITH a 4 year delta between the two parties. Humans are humans. Ok, I get it. If they made it about adjusting the law, allowing for the age groups common within high school, or adding exceptions to the law (Currently there are NO affirmative defenses to the charge, except 'I didn't do it') that would be cool, and I would support it. Humans are not binary automatons, and this wasn't a case of a mature adult victimizing a helpless child. This is very much in the grey margins of what the law was designed to protect.
But Kate's parent's didn't do that. They engaged in the politics of personal destruction to get their way. So my sympathy has pretty much dried up as a result. What happened wasn't right, but I certainly don't believe it was predatory, and shouldn't be a felony in this case (and I think a jury will agree). But now, the parent's actions in Kate's defense are coming to light, and people don't like being lied to. It's going to hurt Kate in the long run. They should have been honest.
(You do realize that the younger girl's parents are legally obligated to report the sexual activity to the police, and so was the school, right?)
At the end of the day, the younger girl's parents MIGHT be homophobes, or they MIGHT disapprove of the relationship on gender identity grounds, but at this time, Kaitlyn's parent's allegations against them don't hold water, now that the police records are public. They lied about Kate's age, and when the other parents reported it. They fudged the ages when speaking publicly, the police records clearly show that at the time of the sexual encounter, the age delta was 14/18, not 15/17. Kate's parents are liars. And in a way, I can understand that. I would do most anything to support my child as well. Hopefully not something as stupid as getting caught lying trying to drum up support, but I can at least see why they did it. But they should not have. They owe the other parents, and the general public a retraction, and an apology.
I don't believe a single claim made by Kaitlyn's parents now. And that is sad, because Kate needs all the help she can get right now.