Judges “appalling” decision in underage sex case now gives licence to sexually offend against minors,
says Relationship & Family Counsellor

The decision by Judge Louis Bidois to discharge 5 men without conviction for committing underage sex crimes against female minors because the Judge believed the acts were “human nature” is an appalling act of judicial activism, and now gives licence to men to act with sexual impunity against vulnerable young women.

Steve Taylor, Director of Relationship Matters Ltd, a Counselling and Family Therapy service in Auckland, says that Judge Bidois failed to follow a primary function of his role, that role being to apply the law, as opposed to interpreting the law based on his own personal bias.

“If Judge Bidois wishes to argues that the 1961 Crimes Act, which in part expressly states that anyone under the age of 16 cannot legally give consent to sex needs to be “re-visited”, then there is a formal process in which Judge Bidois can enter into via the Legislature”.

“What isn’t acceptable is for Judge Bidois to blithely dismiss the crimes that have been committed against these young women, on the premise that if the girls didn’t mind that they were sexually assaulted, then neither should the law, or society, mind either”.

“Judge Bidois seems to believe that the opinions of young women, for who research says their cognitive functions and emotional resilience are all still in active stages of development, have somehow achieved the wisdom of Solomon in terms of what has happened to them and why, and that these opinions should somehow exceed the application of the rule of law”.

“Parents and families of young men and women can no longer have any reasonable confidence in the Judiciary to uphold the very laws that were created to protect them, and at times, to protect their children from themselves”.

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