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NEWS: Man Pleads Guilty to Coercing Girl He Met at Anime Con

Yes, the con could have done more[...] Going downtown, commuting to/from school, spending the day at an anime convention, at the mall, at an amusement park, or at a park are all reasonable things that normal 13-year-olds do on their own without constant supervision. Sadly there is risk inherent in every activity.

...why is an anime convention special?

"A terrible thing happened, something must be done; this is something; therefore let's do it" drives too much of our policy as it is. Doing something effective is important, doing something kneejerk is dumb. (That way lies random grandma searches by the TSA.)

Wow, I can't believe some of you.

The man has previously been convicted of statutory rape. She stopped talking to him when she realized who he was. He contacted her again under a false name. He lied to her about his past. He coerced her into sexual activity.

None of that suggest that she led him into believing she was of legal age. In fact, it suggests the exact opposite: he is a serial offender looking for underage girls.

Seriously ? You're blaming the parents ? Yes, the con could have done more, but to expect 13-year-olds to be chaperoned all the time is ridiculous. This could have happened in any number of places, and by 13 years age, kids are normally given a much longer leash. Going downtown, commuting to/from school, spending the day at an anime convention, at the mall, at an amusement park, or at a park are all reasonable things that normal 13-year-olds do on their own without constant supervision. Sadly there is risk inherent in every activity.

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I do think the parents and the victim share some blame as well, and hopefully they treat this as a lesson. I think the parents could have been more aware of her activities online, and she could have used better judgment. My parents made sure I knew to be careful no matter where I was - online, I don't accept friend invites from people I don't know.

That said, the guy was completely in the wrong here. He's had a previous history of such acts, he contacted her on FB using false name, he's the one who coerced her at the con. Clearly he knew what he was doing.

I don't disagree with what you're saying, but IMO at 13 years old, the girl isn't exactly incapable of understanding what she is doing. "Coerce" is a slippery word because it can mean anything from, "Come on, baby, it'll be fun." to "If you don't come with me, I'll kill you." I'm not sure what the exact legal definition is, but I'm just saying that it's not particularly specific.

1.
to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition: They coerced him into signing the document.
2.
to bring about through the use of force or other forms of compulsion; exact: to coerce obedience.
3.
to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc.: The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.

Congrats to the three/four people who have any sort of logic when it comes to this story. The rest of you are disgusting.

The girl is dumb for running away. She is not guilty of anything other than that. There is nothing in this article (I couldn't find the previous ones) that suggest she asked for any sexual contact. Read the nice big bold headline at the top of the page for gosh sakes. Do you people even know what it's like to be a 13 year-old girl? All this guy had to do was tell her she was cute or funny, and that would be enough to capture the heart of many a teenage girl starving for attention. I feel incredibly sorry for her.

For the love of Tao, being overpowered and molested multiple times =/= consensual. Do you know how many teenage girls, let alone women, are assaulted repeatedly, and never say a word against it because they either are scared, confused, ashamed or, I don't know, afraid of being labeled by people like you, who assume she seduced him and must have enjoyed it if it happened more than once. Go look up Jaycee Dugard and then come at me saying such crap.

It's not her fault she was taken advantage of. End of story.