TL;DR NYT writes a long, heartbreaking essay about multiple good guys who really didn't do anything and they still went to jail! Like the first guy - he just chatted up a 13 year old on Craigslist, made arrangements to meet her, stopped on his way to get condoms - but the girl turned out to be a cop, so that means there's no victim, and he was jailed for a victimless crime. Kinda like attempted murder is a victimless crime because nobody actually died, or something. I'm sure there's some logic in this, and I'm also sure the author, Michael Winerip, has never raped any children himself.
Like the first guy - he just chatted up a 13 year old on Craigslist, made arrangements to meet her, stopped on his way to get condoms - but the girl turned out to be a cop, so that means there's no victim, and he was jailed for a victimless crime.
Wait, there are seriously idiots who buy into the internet honeytraps?
There is a difference though. With your attempted murder example there is a real intended victim. With the fake 13 year old there is a fake intended victim. I know to most people the difference is irrelevant, but from a legal standpoint it can be huge.
(not intended to defend them, but a balanced viewpoint with more thought than a lynch mob)
I think even from a legal standpoint its irrelevant because sting operations are common across the board. From car jackers, to prostitutes, to drug dealers.
But it does raise an important point. Maybe this writer just hates cops so much he'd defend pedos first.
TL;DR NYT writes a long, heartbreaking essay about multiple good guys who really didn't do anything and they still went to jail! Like the first guy - he just chatted up a 13 year old on Craigslist, made arrangements to meet her, stopped on his way to get condoms - but the girl turned out to be a cop, so that means there's no victim, and he was jailed for a victimless crime. Kinda like attempted murder is a victimless crime because nobody actually died, or something. I'm sure there's some logic in this, and I'm also sure the author, Michael Winerip, has never raped any children himself.
Wait, there are seriously idiots who buy into the internet honeytraps?
Holy crap.
There is a difference though. With your attempted murder example there is a real intended victim. With the fake 13 year old there is a fake intended victim. I know to most people the difference is irrelevant, but from a legal standpoint it can be huge.
(not intended to defend them, but a balanced viewpoint with more thought than a lynch mob)
I think even from a legal standpoint its irrelevant because sting operations are common across the board. From car jackers, to prostitutes, to drug dealers.
But it does raise an important point. Maybe this writer just hates cops so much he'd defend pedos first.