AIBU to think that if you email a pic of your genitals to a child, then you are indeed a "sick paedo"?

[MmeLindor.]

I am shocked that the Times journalist Graham Spiers's posts on Twitter.

GrahamSpiers Graham Spiers
Everyone condemns what Craig Thomson has done. But he is no ?sick paedo? and the rest of it. This is what the internet does to kids today.
3 hours ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

GrahamSpiers Graham Spiers
I feel sorry for Hearts? Craig Thomson, as deplorable as his actions have been. This kid, in the internet age, took a dire wrong turning.
3 hours ago

He later said that he is not defending the Hearts player, who has been put on the sex offenders register for emailing young girls story here

From that article it is clear that the footballer was grooming the girls, that he knew for sure how old they were. How can anyone say that he "took a wrong turn".

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

This whole situation is horrific, and IMO just emphasises what a ridiculous pedestal footballers are put on. It is like they are somehow above normal rules.

Vile, vile man. Anyone else would be being sacked from his job and torn to shreds by the press.

[DooinMeCleanin]

He took a wrong turn? Like he meant to send them to an adult? No, I didn't think so.

YANBU.

[MmeLindor.]

Here is the Twitter feed

[Pagwatch]

It is interesting that he does not seem to contemplate this offence as part of a grooming process.

Does he really think that had he got away with it, Craig Thomson would have thought ' oh excellent, flashed my genitals, got this child to do a few things for me but I really ought to stop now'

Society is shockingly, staggeringly uneducated about pedophiles and grooming and abuse.

The teacher that was abusing children in his classroom was discussed on here and someone posted ' how did the teacher manage to scare all those children into keeping quiet'. Breathtaking.

[TheRealMBJ]

YANBU.

It's disgusting. Even more disgusting that anyone could feel sorry for him.

[MmeLindor.]

It is scary, Pag.

He seems to have no understanding of the way in which paedophiles work (which as a sports journalist he doesn't really need, but then he should keep his trap shut and not publicly announce his sympathy for the man).

And is there any worse thing to do, as a public figure, than to come out in sympathy with a paedophile?

Perhaps it is linked to the peeeeedo fear that is so prevalent in UK, so that we are too willing to accept "misunderstandings" from normal decent men who made "mistakes" while we shout peeeedo at strange looking guys who happen to be slightly odd looking.

[WeDONTneedanotherhero]

I find it abhorent that the club did not sack him on the spot. I am also gob smacke tht anyone can even attempt to justify his actions. As far as I can see he preyed on those girls. No 20 year old would have those conversations with girls that age so in my mind it much more than a "wrong turn", it's paedophilia.

[OnlyWantsOne]

YADNBU

twunts

[TheRealMBJ]

Thanks for the link Mme

[WeDONTneedanotherhero]

x post

[DooinMeCleanin]

Ah so it is the internet's fault. Nasty, evil interweb forcing men to act abhorrently

[HandDivedScallopsrgreat]

I doubt he would be excusing this behaviour if a woman had sent the photos to a child. It is only because he is a male footballer that it even crosses Spiers's mind that this might be acceptable.

[MmeLindor.]

Yes, Dooin

I fancy a bit of fraud. I will do it over the internet, as you know the internet tempted me to do so. It is what the internet does to kids today.

[MmeLindor.]

Dittany
I read it several times before believing what I was reading.

[wrongdecade]

how did the child take a 'wrong turn'?

[mollymole]

he is certainly gross - perhaps they could chop them off so that there can be no more 'accidents' (grin)

[mollymole]

oops see above - can't make these little pics work !!!

[floyjoy]

What's even more shocking is that the club was supporting Thomson yesterday and have only suspended him today because of objections from sponsors-
From BBC News
The club's initial backing of Thomson was widely criticised.

The official supporters' club of the Scottish Premier League outfit, charity Children's 1st and Scottish lawmakers were among those calling for Hearts to take action against the player.

And Hearts' water sponsor cancelled its contract with the club on Monday.

He hasn't yet been kicked out!

It's amazing what is deemed acceptable, an error of judgement, etc. when it involves a man exploiting/abusing teenage girls. The ability to kick a ball about a pitch also helps when establishing the man's innocence.

Graham Spiers in an arsehole generally but given that he has spent his career as a football journalist it's not very surprising that he would hold those views. I guess he is so used to that male consensus, 'it's only a bit if fun/it's so hard to tell their ages these days' view that he forgot that a lot us don't have such a benevolent attitude towards sexual predators that target children and teenagers. Better to know the full extent of his stupidity and aresholeness.

[AnyFucker]

molly, you need to use [ ] not ( )

[mollymole]

thanks anyfucker

[AnyFucker]

come on then, do it molly

[sobloodystupid]

Urgh! How repellent are both Spiers and Thomson, cannot believe my eyes...

[MmeLindor.]

Floyjoy
I hadn't come across the journalist before, but I agree that male sports journos tend to be on the neanderthal side of the scale.

His insistence that he is not defending Thomson is baffling.

I did have a tweeter (a good guy) say, "Not read the details of the case, but maybe he didn't know their real ages". As soon as I pointed out that he had known one of the girls for years, he apologised.

And what 20yo would not recognise a 12 year old as being underage?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

That is an extremely lazy and offensive stereotype towards sports journalists, both of you.