No he didn’t. There was no sexual assault. The Guardian report has been comprehensively discredited. The victim here is Vegas. It is very interesting how chinese whispers provoked by a ‘misleading’ news report have lead to serious damage to an individual’s reputation. It seems that he original report by Mary O’Hara and the numerous eyewitness posts discrediting her account have now been removed from The Guardian’s website. That in itself is revealing.

Was the woman in question completely incapable of standing up and walking off stage?
Yes, you claim he told her to lie still etc. But if the woman was actually sexually assaulted in any way, surely she would have moved.
This isn’t fair, and i think the fact that this story has been more or less completely dismissed by the public (not usual for such a serious allegation), and that the Guardian website has indeed removed it’s initial report, shows how outrageous this whole thing is.

For the information of the ignorant “Says”, people react in many different ways to sexual assault. Johnny told her not to f***ing move, she kept pulling her skirt back down, she was clearly too scared to do anything especially as nobody intervened to help her - so it’s not like she could feel that she could rely on the help of other staff if she reacted.

In addition, Johnny groped the breasts of another woman on stage in another television appearance. He is nothing but a pervert, and anyone who thinks a screwed-up version of “comedy” should be considered more important than someone’s welfare should be locked up along with Vegas.

First, I’d like to thank Mick for being so eloquent in his choice of wording for his response with the phrase “chinese whispers”. Is that really necessary? You couldn’t have just said rumors?

Secondly, I completely agree with Glenn and as someone that has gone through training and is a certified advocate for survivors of sexual assault I can say that a lot of research has shown that not ” standing up and walking off” can be typical of someone that is being assaulted. Even research in just the psychological aspect of authority, and Vegas was obviously the one with the authority in this case, has shown the extreme conditions in which people will obey others. Just google ‘Milgram experiment’ and you’ll have a classic example. It’s also common for people to go straight to blaming the victim. You can see how hard it is for sexual assault survivors to even come forward with comments like ’says’. I have also heard that the article was removed due to libel law complexities and not because the story was dismissed.

Regarding Chinese Whisper, here is what Wikipedia has to say

“Chinese whispers[1], Russian Scandal[1] or Telephone is a game in which each successive participant secretly whispers to the next a phrase or sentence whispered to them by the preceding participant. Cumulative errors from mishearing often result in the sentence heard by the last player differing greatly and amusingly from the one uttered by the first. It is most often played by children as a party game or in the playground. It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies of rumours or gossip… The name “Chinese whispers” reflects the former stereotype in Europe of the Chinese language as being incomprehensible.[3] It is little-used in the United States and may be considered offensive.[4] However, it remains the common British name for the game.[5]

I could of course have said “rumours” but I meant to convey rumours which take on a life of their own and are added to, to become increasingly distorted, which is what has happened in the Johnny Vegas case. As Wikipedia suggests it’s a common phrase in Britain - I’m posting from Ireland. I now realise it may be considered offensive in the United States though, as I’m sure you understand, my intention was not to cause offense. In future I’ll use the term “Russian Scandal”… oh no.,.sorry… what am I thinking!!… I mean, I’ll use the word “telephone”.

Freezing and giggling are very common responses to molestation. They are survival responses to miminise further harm - i.e. physical damage. People do this when they are hoping that the other person will stop or someone will intervene. Around this issue I have heard lots and lots of really ignorant comments. Few people seem to consider the psychologically passifying effect being carried onto stage in a ritual manner, of having six people standing while you are on the floor, of not being sure if the person doing this to you is ‘joking’ because the groping certainly was real.

Vegas is taking out a libel case against the Guardian, hense the removal of the article - not tha it has been discredited.

I am disturbed by the number of people who want to brush this issue under the carpet. With rape conviction rates getting lower and lower, it is obvious that some discussion has to occur as to what sexual behaviour is going beyond decency, and what actually constitutes consent - so members of the jury don’t represent the ignorant public that they currently do.

Also, as most rapes go unreported, I think a lot of men commit rape and don’t realise they have, just there are lots of women with the anger, self-blaming etc, that don’t recognise that they themselves have been raped. The same goes for molestation. Shame usually hides it away. Something has to change.

Freezing and giggling are very common responses to molestation. They are survival responses to miminise further harm - i.e. physical damage. People do this when they are hoping that the other person will stop or someone will intervene. Around this issue I have heard lots and lots of really ignorant comments. Few people seem to consider the psychologically passifying effect being carried onto stage in a ritual manner, of having six people standing while you are on the floor, of not being sure if the person doing this to you is ‘joking’ because the groping certainly was real.

Vegas is taking out a libel case against the Guardian, hense the removal of the article - not that it has been discredited.

I am disturbed by the number of people who want to brush this issue under the carpet. With rape conviction rates getting lower and lower, it is obvious that some discussion has to occur as to what sexual behaviour is going beyond decency, and what actually constitutes consent - so members of the jury don’t represent the ignorant public that they currently do.

Also, as most rapes go unreported, I think a lot of men commit rape and don’t realise they have, just there are lots of women with the anger, self-blaming etc, that don’t recognise that they themselves have been raped. The same goes for molestation. Shame usually hides it away. Something has to change.

The Bug, I agree with most of what you say but I think suggesting men “don’t realise” they’ve raped someone makes it easier to feel sorry for the rapist instead of the victim. If you see a woman look like a rabbit in headlights when you’re about to have sex with her, then even if she doesn’t say not you know very well she isn’t consenting. Rape is about power and violence, not mistakes. There are, however, men (and women - they can be perpetrators too) who feel that it doesn’t matter if the woman doesn’t consent - that it’s “just sex”, not realising the psychological impact on the victim… that doesn’t mean they don’t know the act they committed was rape.

In a room full of people, she could easily say “stop” or give some indication that she was uncomfortable and it wouldnt have been ignored. If it was so serious why didnt anyone from the audience do anything..?
If a woman is too stupid to say something then what does she expect? Its hardly like she was alone in a dark alley with no one to help. She probably enjoyed the attention. He is rather sexy.

Oh and to the whole rape thing, there is many different levels. Research has found that many rape victims dont remember giving one reason why they are not all reported. And controversial as it may sound, some women actually enjoy it. They dont choose to but cannot help physiological responses. Not trying to make a point here just sharing knowledge, do with it what you wish.

One last thing, dont believe everything you read in the papers and hear on the news. Its mostly warped, exaggerated, biased nonsense created to manipulate how we think. Think for yourselves.

If it’s true then why has no complaint been made? Also, why have the newspapers concerned retracted the story?

wow. this is for ‘meow’.

1. ‘Research has found that many rape victims dont remember giving one reason why they are not all reported’

what does that sentence even mean?

2. ‘controversial as it may sound, some women actually enjoy it. They dont choose to but cannot help physiological responses’

now i may be jumping to conclusions here, but i’m guessing that you’re a man. (or a woman with such issues of self-loathing i beg you to get some help.)

tell me, if some guy (or a woman with an ‘implement’) raped you anally and you got an erection and possibly even ejaculated due to stimulus of your prostate gland, would you feel like you had an enjoyable experience? would that mean you consented? some rapists will actually go out of their way to ensure their victim has an orgasm to further humiliate them, because rape is about power, not sex. physiological reactions have nothing to do with consent or emotional enjoyment of a rape.

3. ‘If a woman is too stupid to say something then what does she expect? Its hardly like she was alone in a dark alley with no one to help’

again. wow. since you are obviously so well read on the subject i’m shocked you haven’t come across the multitude of reasons (a one-size-fits-all reason would be pretty unlikely, wouldn’t it?) women don’t report a rape.

being attacked by an authority figure is just one. also, being in a room full of people won’t neccessarily help you. as one poster here said, google ‘Milgram experiment’ and learn something about human nature. or read up on WWII. the bigger a crowd gets, the lower the mean IQ is, the less likely people are to feel any responsibility as an individual to do something. they’re all waiting for someone else to do it.

finally, nick,

‘If it’s true then why has no complaint been made?’

would you like to be the center of a controversial sexual assault case involving a celebrity? can you just imagine how utterly and completely it would destroy your life? to be vilified by other celebrities, discussed on national morning drive-time radio shows? i think it’s entirely possible this girl has decided to avoid the circus.

i wasn’t present at the show. i’d be interested in knowing whether or not it was filmed, i would be surprised if it wasn’t. at the very least, someone had a camera phone there.

c6h4clstuff, I totally agree with you. meow is either a complete retard or a sick f*** who wants to make excuses for rape so he can go out and do it himself. The one taht really gets me is the idocy of suggestin she could have said “stop” and the ridiculous belief it would have made a difference when half the room were laughing and NOBODY was helping her. How in the hell such a country of COWARDS won any wars I’ll never know.

Fred, how did such a country of cowards ever win any wars? We had the help of your multicultural, literate, educated, feminist state in which sexual assault and rape never occur. Thanks x.

sounds to me like she could’ve done wit more than a finger.,.. dont forget its not rape until someone tells on you.. and also these days if you shout surprise first it’s legal..!!! come on the rapage..1!