Free Republic

A British student who was sexually assaulted by a gang in New York and then ignored by police when she begged for help has received £80,000 in compensation. The 22-year-old accepted the out-of-court settlement even though she could have received millions if she had taken the case to a jury. The woman was attacked near the gates of Central Park by about 15 men after the Puerto Rican Day Parade in June 2000. She was among dozens of women who were attacked by roving gangs during the day, suffering the worst assault. Many of the victims were doused with water,...

The Defense Department's senior personnel official today assured Senate Armed Services Committee members that the military would get to the bottom of allegations that scores of female service members were sexually assaulted during overseas deployments. "Sexual assault is a crime," David S.C. Chu, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, declared in his opening remarks to members of the SASC's personnel subcommittee. Chu said DoD policy prohibiting sexual assault "is clear in the law, it is clear in the regulations of the department, it is clear in the statements of the secretary of defense." He also responded to committee...