Child Dies Because Man is Afraid of Being Labeled a Pedophile

[a6m5]

I agree with Canadian speed, also the guy did not think the girl would be dead in the next five mins he wouldn't have known that she's have drowned if she fell, most people including kids fall into a pool and climb out a bit wetter than they were before. If he knew she's drown if she fell in, I don't doubt that he would have stepped in. Personally, I would have probably driven on myself, the system if ****ed up and the good people get crapped on too often. This man should have zero blame placed on him.

Maybe I just look at thing more negatively than you do, live4speed. If I see a 2-year-old on the loose outside, I'd assume the worst.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Too many people are saying how the judge would find him innocent. When you have a family and a business a judge has nothing to do with you being innocent.

It only takes a few idiots to start spreading malicious comments. Hell in the UK, being accused of being a pedophile is worse than being convicted as one. Atleast then you'll be locked in prison away from everyone trying to burn you alive in your house.

In summary, the guy did what was right for himself, and for his family.

 

[Famine]

Hell in the UK, being accused of being a pedophile is worse than being convicted as one. Atleast then you'll be locked in prison away from everyone trying to burn you alive in your house.

And the houses of anyone you've ever known.

Remember the illiterati of Cardiff, who vandalised the house of a paediatrician?

 

[Tourettes Guy]

wow, just wow...

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

I doubt in the very short moments of considering whether to help the child or not, that you would be considering the damage to your family. It's just not something that would come into your head first and foremost. You could easily step back afterwards and think of something like that, but in the moment you would think of a) saving the child's life, and b) whether you would be called a pedophile.

I'm sorry, but personally, I couldn't overlook a child's life.

I agree with Canadian speed, also the guy did not think the girl would be dead in the next five mins he wouldn't have known that she's have drowned if she fell, most people including kids fall into a pool and climb out a bit wetter than they were before. If he knew she's drown if she fell in, I don't doubt that he would have stepped in. Personally, I would have probably driven on myself, the system if ****ed up and the good people get crapped on too often. This man should have zero blame placed on him.

I agree with a6m5. When you see a small child near water, you assume the worst. Do you expect that a very small child, as young as this child would have looked, to be able to swim? I don't think so. Common sense should immediately put danger signs in your head when a child is near a pond, pool, river, or any kind of water.

 

[Canadian Speed]

I doubt in the very short moments of considering whether to help the child or not, that you would be considering the damage to your family. It's just not something that would come into your head first and foremost. You could easily step back afterwards and think of something like that, but in the moment you would think of a) saving the child's life, and b) whether you would be called a pedophile.

The very fact that this story exists, prooves the contrary to your statement. Are you married? Have kids? Are younger? (Not saying these things as an insult as it relates to the point of what I'm going to say). If you're a young person, the odds of being accused are lesser then if you're some 25+ scruffy looking man who just happens to hop out of a truck and runs over to a stranded child. Picks it up and leaves the scene with the kid, likely in a vehicle. As a whitness... you've just seen a kidnapping... As a parent, it would tear your heart out to find out later that the child died, hence why he called in... His only fault in this is brutal honnesty. However as a father, your first priority is to your familly and it's well being. It's the first, or at least should be the first thing you think of before you do ANYTHING! And if that means saving yourself in order to continue to serve your familly, so be it... At least in this matter... Where he really did nothing wrong...

On the same token, how many times are there kids walking alone on the streets, in parks, in various places and no one ever grabs the kid... There are dangers present everywhere. Because people think just like this guy did... Had the child not died, as is the case a 98% of the time, this wouldn't even be an issue. The kid would have been found and that would have been that... This guy just said what everybody else was thinking and feeling and is now called on it...

 

[Wolfe]

What's sad is that reading about this story, and the related story of that guy who grabbed that girl's arm, has changed my outlook on this sort of situation.

Before, I would've probably helped a lost child.

Now, I'm not so sure.....

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

On the same token, how many times are there kids walking alone on the streets, in parks, in various places and no one ever grabs the kid... There are dangers present everywhere. Because people think just like this guy did... Had the child not died, as is the case a 98% of the time, this wouldn't even be an issue. The kid would have been found and that would have been that... This guy just said what everybody else was thinking and feeling and is now called on it...

Well, it's not that often that you see a very young child (around the age of the one in the article) alone walking near a pond. If it was a child walking around a park which didn't have the ever-present dangers of a pond, or something equally as threatening, I wouldn't feel the way I do at all, but the simple fact that the child was in an obviously life-threatening situation (child + water = very bad) really grabbed my attention. If, for the aforementioned reasons, you decided against helping a child in a fairly non life-threatening situation, I would view it differently (though there's always the danger of the child being picked up by the wrong person), but it's far too dangerous to be able to pass up on potentially (and in this case, surely) saving an innocent child's life in such a situation.

However, what the guy and the article brought up was a very valid issue, and one which I believe needs to be addressed. I do feel for people in this situation in one way, and I'm more than peeved that this sort of thing occurs. Understand that I'm not against him completely, and that I'm also quite frustrated about this sort of thing, but as I said, I couldn't justify disregarding the life of a small child.

Society has become tragically mixed up.

 

[ExigeEvan]

And the houses of anyone you've ever known.

Remember the illiterati of Cardiff, who vandalised the house of a paediatrician?

I was hoping no one would bring that up

I doubt in the very short moments of considering whether to help the child or not, that you would be considering the damage to your family. It's just not something that would come into your head first and foremost. You could easily step back afterwards and think of something like that, but in the moment you would think of a) saving the child's life, and b) whether you would be called a pedophile.

Being labelled a pedophile goes hand-in-hand with causing damage to your family.

 

[Swift]

Being labelled a pedophile goes hand-in-hand with causing damage to your family.

It certainly does. I still can't believe that case mentioned earlier in the thread when the guy was labled as a sex offender for NOT touching someone in a sexual way. That's just stupid.

 

[Sphinx]

The thought of someone seeing a small child that could be in danger and ends up doing nothing is mind blowing to me. I’m sorry, but in my book his reasons doesn’t hack it. There are risks in everything, there are even risks when you cross a road, but that never stops us from doing it.

 

[Swift]

The thought of someone seeing a small child that could be in danger and ends up doing nothing is mind blowing to me. I’m sorry, but in my book his reasons doesn’t hack it. There are risks in everything, there are even risks when you cross a road, but that never stops us from doing it.

Yeah, but if you get hit when you cross the road it's on you. If you get labled as a pedophile, your life and the life of your family is forever labled and changed.

 

[Dave A]

That's how incredibly stupid the law is.

 

[ExigeEvan]

The thought of someone seeing a small child that could be in danger and ends up doing nothing is mind blowing to me. I’m sorry, but in my book his reasons doesn’t hack it. There are risks in everything, there are even risks when you cross a road, but that never stops us from doing it.

May I ask, how old are you?

I'm 15 and I'm approaching the age where if I go near a young kid I'm at risk of some accusation. Having 2 younger siblings it is natural for me to approach a young kid if they are lost or seem indistress, and I have done so in the past. This point was put forward to me when I helped do a dragon sports (Basically an activity day for kids 6-13 in the holidays) activity week.

 

[a6m5]

That's how incredibly stupid the law is.

That's what it really comes down to. Two sides has been arguing about wether(I'm having a brain cramp, please tell me how to spell this. I really can't remember ) you should or shouldn't rescue a lost toddler, while real problem is the law. As mentioned earlier, we all want to protect children from abductors, but this paticular law is way too flawed to be in place.

 

[Dave A]

Exactley, if the law would have been allowed to praise the guy for stepping in and helping and not had-he-been-seen put him at a high risk of being classed as a pedophile, we wouldn't have been reading this sad story about a 2 year old that drowned.

 

[Sphinx]

May I ask, how old are you?

I'm 15 and I'm approaching the age where if I go near a young kid I'm at risk of some accusation. Having 2 younger siblings it is natural for me to approach a young kid if they are lost or seem indistress, and I have done so in the past. This point was put forward to me when I helped do a dragon sports (Basically an activity day for kids 6-13 in the holidays) activity week.

My age is irrelevant. However, I am old enough and have been raised to know what the right thing to do is regardless of any fear that I may have. I know this is just my opinion, but there is nothing on this earth (including the law) that would allow me to drive past an unaccompanied 2yr old in the street and do nothing.

 

[Swift]

My age is irrelevant. However, I am old enough and have been raised to know what the right thing to do is regardless of any fear that I may have. I know this is just my opinion, but there is nothing on this earth (including the law) that would allow me to drive past an unaccompanied 2yr old in the street and do nothing.

What if it meant branding you as a felon and your family as "sick"

 

[Sphinx]

To be honest with you, at the moment of taking action the thought wouldn't even enter my head even though I'm fully aware and fearful of what could happen if I failed to follow common sense.

 

[Swift]

To be honest with you, at the moment of taking action the thought wouldn't even enter my head even though I'm fully aware and fearful of what could happen if I failed to follow common sense.

Right, but here's the thing. If you DON'T think about it then you're not being responsible to your family. It's easy if it's just you, not so easy if others will be directly effected as well. That's the thing that made the difference to this guy. Not that he didn't want to help, that he was fearful for his family.

 

[Danoff]

I don't see why it's any less justifiable if the guy just fears for himself. Maybe he didn't want to hang in order to possibly prevent the toddler from getting hurt.

 

[Swift]

It comes down to this: It was NOT his child and he didn't know the child. So, what if he did do something and the child started screaming? Then where would he be. He played it safe. It's unfortunate and tragic that the child died, but he is in no way accountable for it.

 

[Canadian Speed]

It comes down to this: It was NOT his child and he didn't know the child. So, what if he did do something and the child started screaming? Then where would he be. He played it safe. It's unfortunate and tragic that the child died, but he is in no way accountable for it.

100% agree... In the end, there could have been up to four or five lives tragically changed for ever, or at least a very long time, had he acted. These people would have been his wife, his kids, and himself. Would you take that chance with your family. Here's the thing... He's labled a pedo, his wife is accused of hidding this fact, maybe even partaking in these kinds of activities, his kids automaticaly get taken away until the law can sort things out, they lead the lives of foster children, forever questioning every single aspect of their lives and the relationship they had with their parents. Kids says that Dad spanked em on their bare bum once... fuel for the fire... they find naked baby pictures (everybody has them)... fuel for the fire... It's a very slippery slope.

However, I think the real problem, aside from just this law or laws like this, is that society in general has become a bunch of passive pu**ies. They run to the cops at the first signs of a potential problem instead of simply stepping up and asking a stranger "Is that your kid? Proove it..." or something along those lines. From personal experience, once law enforcement agancies are called to calls like these, many times their hands are tied as to what they have to do... However, someone goes up and asks the guy, gets a decent answer, maybe even from the kid, is satisfied and that's the end of it... It's a lot easier that way...

 

[Sphinx]

The biggest fear I've always had is being accused of child abuse because I have strong connections with other people's children, but the fact still remains I would've stopped to help the child. Call it a natural reaction, call it whatever you want, and as for being responsible for my family which at the time wouldn't even enter the frame IMO, what about being responsible by doing the right thing?

 

[Canadian Speed]

The biggest fear I've always had is being accused of child abuse because I have strong connections with other people's children, but the fact still remains I would've stopped to help the child. Call it a natural reaction, call it whatever you want, and as for being responsible for my family which at the time wouldn't even enter the frame IMO, what about being responsible by doing the right thing?

Define "Right Thing"...

 

[Swift]

The biggest fear I've always had is being accused of child abuse because I have strong connections with other people's children, but the fact still remains I would've stopped to help the child. Call it a natural reaction, call it whatever you want, and as for being responsible for my family which at the time wouldn't even enter the frame IMO, what about being responsible by doing the right thing?

I'm

But what is the "Right" thing? To preserve your families integrity and your lively hood or to see if a child might be lost? I'm not saying either is "right" just that in this case, there is a lot of gray.

 

[Dave A]

What about being responsible by doing the right thing?

IMO under the circumstances, that's exactley what he did.

 

[Sphinx]

But what is the "Right" thing? To preserve your families integrity and your lively hood or to see if a child might be lost? I'm not saying either is "right" just that in this case, there is a lot of gray.

The right thing is to help the child. The wrong thing is to allow your fears to rule your life.

 

[Sphinx]

IMO under the circumstances, that's exactley what he did.

It would be interesting to know what he thinks now.

 

[Swift]

The right thing is to help the child. The wrong thing is to allow your fears to rule your life.

In this particular case, yes. But we only know that because we have seen the outcome. But it's not like the child was sitting there bleeding or looking beaten up. The child was fine, so if he did do something and the parents wanted to press charges, what could he say? "She 'looked' like she needed some help"? Yeah, that'll work.