Kansas judge calls girls, 13 and 14, the 'aggressor' in a child sex solicitation case

Fox News ^ | February 4, 2019 | Robert Gearty

[jazusamo]

Kansas judge Michael Gibbens (l.) sentenced Raymond Soden, 67, (r.) in a child sex solicitation
case after saying the two victims, girls, 13 and 14 were "more agressor than a participant in the
criminal conduct." (Leavenworth County Bar Association/ Kansas Department of Corrections)

A Kansas judge has come under fire for saying in court that two girls--solicited by an online predator to have sex with him when they were 13 and 14--were partly to blame for what happened to them.

“I do find that the victims in this case, in particular, were more an aggressor than a participant in the criminal conduct,” Leavenworth County Judge Michael Gibbens said in remarks delivered at a December sentencing for a 67-year-old man who paid for sex with the two girls, according to a report in the Kansas City Star.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Raiford quail we called them in Florida in the 60s

There is a state prison in Raiford

[ChildOfThe60s]

This isn’t pedophilia. The girls are not young enough for that. There is another term for it which at the moment eludes me

[grania]

Why isn’t he already gone? Girls that young are not responsible for their behavior. I don’t care how mature and aggressive their behavior is, they’re kids. A judge should be protecting them from sex trafficking, not hiring them.

[Bethaneidh]

What the guy then does is called whoremongering. Both parties re then evil, regardless of either’s age. Legal results may vary.

[SgtHooper]

Correct. It should be strict liability anyway, with the minimum sentencing spelled out in statute. Stupid judge. Should never had said that.

[sparklite2]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I can’t think of it either.

[marktwain]

Why isn’t he already gone? Girls that young are not responsible for their behavior. I don’t care how mature and aggressive their behavior is, they’re kids.

They do not become responsible, instant adults when they reach the age of 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18.

Some people never become very responsible.

Some people are very responsible at age 12.

In a lot of societies, Maturity was assumed with sexual maturity.

We make a bright line at various ages.

To claim that 13 and 14 year old girls are not responsible for their behavior is a long stretch. They are not infants or babies in the crib.

They are not deemed responsible enough for contracts or marriage, but they certainly bear some responsibility.

[ExGeeEye]

Ephebophilia.

[Pikachu_Dad]

More like...

Creep #1: Yes I paid to have sex with two young girls.

Bad girls 1 AND 2: Yes we took his money and performed the acts.

Prosecution: Give him 12 years judge.

Judge: That will be 6 years in jail for Creep #1. The girls went to his house and committed illegal acts also.

[Pikachu_Dad]

and a 67 year old man + 6 years is 73 years old.

It may not make any difference if he was given 6 years or 12 years given his age.

[grania]

No, they don’t bear any responsibility. The Judge knew it was wrong. The girls were probably playing out a fantasy.

[marktwain]

See post #50. The 67 year old got six years in prison.

The girls got off with no punishment.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Thank you.

The term I was thinking of is pederasty, which I realized was not correct for this.

I’m not up on all the proper terms for perversions.

[gogeo]

Many 13 and 14 year old girls are sexually mature and promiscuous.

We may not like that fact. But it is true.

13 or 14 year old girls may or may not be promiscuous.

But they are always 13 or 14 years old.

[grania]

I'm no fan of forever labels as sex offenders lists for those whose crimes have been addressed and there's been an appropriate punishment. I do think some guys get unjustly accused and that some of the crimes aren't crimes. I do believe that our society has to be less slutty and that little girls should look and dress and participate in supervised activities like little girls.

But a 67 year old Judge that age taking advantage of young teenage girls? Six years in prison is not enough. Maybe what should happen to those girls is some kind of total supervision until they're 18 or so.

[marktwain]

But a 67 year old Judge that age taking advantage of young teenage girls? Six years in prison is not enough. Maybe what should happen to those girls is some kind of total supervision until they're 18 or so.

The 67-year-old is not a judge. I can see how you became confused on this point, as the story demonizes the judge as much as the 67-year-old.

[grania]

Gotcha', my mistake. So people are asking that the person who attacked them get more jail time and the judge be removed from office. I can agree that at this point the sentence shouldn't be changed, but no early parole. And, yeah, the judge should step down immediately or be removed from office.

And people who are still abusing young boys and girls? I don't get it. How stupid can they be?

[marktwain]

And people who are still abusing young boys and girls? I don't get it. How stupid can they be?

It is difficult to overcome biology with mixed cultural programming.

[PapaBear3625]

Girls that young are not responsible for their behavior.

Boys that age engage in drug dealing, theft, and robbery. They are old enough to be aware of what they are doing.

[PapaBear3625]

The girls got off with no punishment.

At the least, the older sister who was allegedly pimping them out should have been charged, and the girls taken away from the environment into foster care.