Every woman has been groped at some time in her life starting from a young age and if the offenders were charged there would be no room left for any other prisoners.

What is wrong with these women to act as though their lives are over because they had a breast or bottom squeezed.

Sexual abuse is not just about a squeeze here or there. Yes, being groped is degrading, revolting and disgusting but for heaven’s sake, to carry on with the agony aunt stuff is sickening.

Watch them put their hands out for compensation. Putting an old man in gaol for groping is beyond me. Let’s worry about the real sexual predators. You only have to look at the child prostitutes in the world to see that. Just check out Brazil.

Speaking outside the court, DCI Mick Orchard of the Metropolitan Police Service said: “[Harris] committed many offences in plain sight of people as he thought his celebrity status placed him above the law.”

“I want to thank the women who came forward for their bravery, I hope today’s guilty verdict will give them closure and help them to begin to move on with their lives.”

Compare the opinion piece above and its comments to the following:

“Today’s case and verdict once again shows that we will always listen to, and investigate allegations regardless of the time frame or those involved.”

Jenny Hopkins, of the Crown Prosecution Service, praised Harris’s victims for coming forward. “The victims in the this case have suffered in silence for many years … I hope today’s verdict provides other victims with the courage and confidence to come forward no matter who is alleged to have carried out the abuse and when,” she said.

…and when you’ve compared the two, think about what message you would like to give the children and adults around you…

The opinion piece written by Daphne is unfortunately a very narrow-minded, ill-informed piece which sends a very blurred message to young people who may already find the subject of sexual boundaries confusing.

Regardless of age, a person does not need any justification to speak out to the police about an incident which may or may not be relevant in a major case against someone suspected of committing a crime.

Speaking to the police about an incident does NOT mean the person has “squawked”, and reporting does NOT have “shades of the schoolyard”. Reporting is one way of sending a clear message to anyone who thinks they are above the law that they are not.

If a child in Malta is groomed and later abused by an adult figure of authority or status, and if the alleged abuser is brought to trial for their actions, the citizens who care about that child and every other child have a responsibility to approach the police about any incident that may shed light on the abuser’s character. It is then up to the law to decide which information is relevant and which is not. The same applies if a case is brought to trial about suspected sexual assault on an adult.

But if you send a message to society that those who report these incidents “need to get a grip”, then you are condemning more and more people to a life of silence and ongoing abuse in a society that has no faith in its legal system to convict these abusers.

[Daphne – I am not talking about children here, but about grown women making a fuss because some man (who happens to be VERY famous) put a hand on their bottom or between their legs 40 years ago when they were already grown up.]

Harris is not British, he’s Australian.

The reverse is now true. Again, not talking about Malta.

It is a bit rich for women to complain about the death of chivalry when touching a woman’s arm can end up with a scene about harassment. And no, I am not referring to Malta.

Asking a woman if she wants to be kissed, even when all the signs are there, instead of just going ahead and kissing her, is the biggest anti climax but, quite frankly it is preferable to a ride in a police car.

I’m a woman in my early 40s and during my student-worker days at Telemalta there was this one guy who, whenever he came to have a chat with me at my desk, used to rub his crotch against the corner. I always thought it was hilarious – rubbing down a boner.

And every bus ride had some sort of pervert or other on it. Times have changed since then (thank God) but it’s all about an experience that makes you stronger and you move on.

Not if you own a didgeridoo it seems.

Lately there’s been also something about Woody Allen going on. It’s his step daughter who is accusing him of child abuse.