A minister has said young women should not be at the mercy of powerful men as the Government faces calls to stagger the age of consent following allegations of sexual misconduct against entertainers David Walliams and Russell Brand.
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Government → say → entertainers
It comes after a woman waived her right to anonymity to publicly claim she was raped by Brand as a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and follows separate reporting of a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Walliams when she was 15.
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she → come → Walliams
Speaking on Sky News’s Sunday Morning With David Olusoga programme, he said: “So, I think what we’ve seen over the last week has certainly raised that question.
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seen → speak → question
“I can’t give you a final answer on that today, but I do think that between Russell Brand, David Walliams, what’s been put out there, people are looking at these issues in a new light.
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people → give → light
“They’re looking at powerful men abusing their position and that question, which has been raised I think by someone who was a victim of Russell Brand, has come out today is certainly something that ministers will talk about.”
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ministers → look → that
He added: “What we’ll definitely do is think about whatever we can do to help people at the wrong end of these abuses of power.
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we → add → power
“We’re already changing the nature of NDAs, which are used to silence people in the workplace on these issues.
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which → change → issues
Under UK law, adults of any age are legally able to have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds.
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adults → have → olds
On the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr McFadden referred to calls for a staggered age of consent, saying: “I think it’s certainly a question that has been raised and will be discussed, can’t tell you what the conclusion of that would be, but the last week has certainly put that up in lights.”
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week → refer → lights
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately told Sky News about a potential law change: “If your teenage daughter comes home after spending time with somebody who’s in their 40s or my age, we’re like, ‘oh, there’s something funny going on here’, so I think it’s an interesting idea.
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it → tell → 40s
“I can’t say more than that because I haven’t had a time to think through what are the potential consequences of legislating on that,
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what → say → that
I do think also as a society, you know, this is a moment to look again.”
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this → think → society
Ms Whately, who has a 16-year-old daughter, suggested it may be time to act because now you see “so many people – and it seems to be in plain sight – going about abusing” and “taking advantage of young women”.
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it → have → women
On Saturday, the woman who was referred to under the pseudonym of Alice in previous reporting by The Sunday Times, The Times, and a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary on Brand waived her anonymity.
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documentary → refer → anonymity
Mia Latter, now 37, alleged she had been mistreated by jailed comedian Brand when she was a teenager and he was 30.
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he → allege → Brand
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ms Latter called for the introduction of a staggered age of consent – which would make relationships between adults and teenagers aged 16 and 17 illegal.
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relationships → call → adults
She told the newspaper: “It’s shocking to me time and time again that whenever the news comes up again about him, it’s always in the comments about the relationship with a 16-year-old.
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it → tell → old
“That’s not the most heinous bit.
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That → ’ → ?
But why is that the thing that everybody collectively gets stuck on?
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everybody → get → that
I think we all sort of agree that … adults shouldn’t be allowed to have sexual relationships with children, with somebody under the age of 18.
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adults → think → 18
That really doesn’t seem like a gigantic leap to take.”
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That → seem → leap
Brand was convicted of attacks against four of the six women who gave evidence against him, and he is now serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison term for one count of rape and three sexual assaults.
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he → convict → rape
Earlier this week, it was announced that a series of “serious” sex offence allegations against David Walliams are being probed by the Metropolitan Police following an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday.
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series → announce → Tuesday
One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams when she was 15 as “sexual assault”.
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she → describe → assault
Walliams denies any wrongdoing.
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Walliams → deny → wrongdoing
The Aporia
