RIP Peter Roebuck

[achilles]

Sexual assault isnt "personal life." it' date='s called rape; a heinous crime, and worse if it is with minors. Bet you pray for Osama's soul daily too.:winky:[/quote'] Yeah dude. I totally do. I've asked him to reserve 72 virgins for you once you get there :two_thumbs_up:

[achilles]

+1 Reporting a crime is no offence to anyone's dignity. Though needless speculation should be avoided' date= its important that the entire facts surrounding his death come to fore.

You said it right with the needless speculation part. See, my school of thought says don't piss over the grave of a dead man. I really liked the fact that Cricinfo didn't report the nuances of the case. It is showing respect to the professional life of the person. On a personal level, it must be investigated what was the insinuation that caused a strong-willed man like him to commit suicide. The only thing is, I hope they don't do it publicly. It is the law before which innocence and guilt must be proven.

[ganeshran]

You said it right with the needless speculation part. See, my school of thought says don't piss over the grave of a dead man. I really liked the fact that Cricinfo didn't report the nuances of the case. It is showing respect to the professional life of the person. On a personal level, it must be investigated what was the insinuation that caused a strong-willed man like him to commit suicide. The only thing is, I hope they don't do it publicly. It is the law before which innocence and guilt must be proven.

His professional life is irrelevant here since its a serious crime being committed. The proven facts regarding the case should be in public domain just like any other sexual assault case.

[achilles]

His professional life is irrelevant here since its a serious crime being committed. The proven facts regarding the case should be in public domain just like any other sexual assault case.

How can anyone even be sure if he committed the crime? What do we know about what happened in that room that led to him jumping off? The investigators should find out and present it before the court. I don't think it is right to pre-judge. We can disagree on this.

[ganeshran]

How can anyone even be sure if he committed the crime? What do we know about what happened in that room that led to him jumping off? The investigators should find out and present it before the court. I don't think it is right to pre-judge. We can disagree on this.

That is why that proven facts should be put in public domain, which would most likely be the case once the inquest and original police enquiry is completed.

[achilles]

That is why that proven facts should be put in public domain' date= which would most likely be the case once the inquest and original police enquiry is completed.

I don't think the police needs to explain things to the public. The concerned parties deserve an answer. I beg to differ with you on the subject.

[Late Cut]

Because if he was a rapist or a child molester or both, then sactifying his memory spits on those he violated. I tend to have more consideration for the living than the criminally dead.

[SachDan]

http://www.vexnews.com/2011/11/peter-roebuck-did-the-abc-and-fairfax-turn-a-blind-eye-to-their-own-criminal-sexual-predator/ Many have lavished the high-profile, quirky and controversial cricket writer Peter Roebuck with praise for his writing after his sudden death that has now been confirmed as suicide and appears to have been prompted by South African Police inquiries of him that left him in an ÅÂgitated state. Francis (ÅÕhe? Leach a former ALP member, discredited minor-level branch-stacker turned B-grade sports radio broadcaster in Melbourne declared his love for Roebuck this morning on the sports-programme ABC Offsiders saying ÅØeÃÃl miss him dearly while others of less stench but higher rank like Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood, The Age editor and suspect in the criminal hacking investigation Paul Ramadge and even the nationÃÔ Sports Minister Mark Arbib all expressed their sadness at his death. WeÃÅ have thought the praise might have been best given in context given his form as a convicted criminal abuser of teenage lads in his care and the widespread gossip in media circles that Peter Roebuck was an exploitative sexual predator who used his money and clout to have his way with the poorest and most desperate of kids who wanted a way out of poverty and a chance to play cricket at an elite level that Roebuck was tempting them with. WeÃÓe not certain that pedophile is the right word for him technically, as we are only aware of him preying on kids above the age of consent, but his behaviour certainly sounds creepy, exploitative and disturbing and it seems that his employers at Fairfax and the ABC knew his form and knew that it continued until the present day. The issue for Fairfax and the ABC is what did they know and when did they know it? Did they enable or facilitate his wrongdoing by keeping him in a prestigious position of power, knowing that he was abusing it to sexually exploit young people? Roebuck asked the boy to bend over and delivered three ÅÇorceful strokes over his clothing. (He) then pulled the boy towards him, in what appeared to be an act of affection. He then asked if he could look at the marks on the boyÃÔ buttocks, something which he in fact did. Many of those praising him presumably knew of his private life too. More sensible folk like Gideon Haigh probably the best cricket writer running around generously described his work but noted the ÅÕragic circumstances of RoebuckÃÔ demise. Those who knew the whole story must have held their nose while describing him in such glowing terms. These are not nice things to discuss when the body is still warm. ThereÃÔ a taboo against it and against reporting on suicide too. But given how pompous and judgmental and exacting the standards set out by Fairfax/ABC when evaluating how Churches, a Melbourne yeshivah and even a Governor-General deal with sexual predators who exploit those in their care for their own gratification, then it is right for there to be serious questioning of what went on here and also what Fairfax/ABC management knew and when they knew it and what if anything they did to stop him. Did they facilitate or enable his wrongdoing? These are three stories that make it quite clear that Roebuck was up to no good and may well have used his authority in the cricket world that came from writing for Fairfax and working for the ABC to gain access to potential targets of exploitation. The nasty details are yet to fully emerge, but they will soon, potentially creating yet another PR crisis for the beleaguered Fairfax newspaper publisher and AustraliaÃÔ state-sponsored broadcaster, the ABC: ■ In a statement, the victim said Roebuck told him: ŪÃÎ going to cane you now. Then it will be over and I will forgive you and, if I donÃÕ cane you, I will feel differently about you. Roebuck asked the boy to bend over and delivered three ÅÇorceful strokes over his clothing. Mr Fenny said: ųoebuck then pulled the boy towards him, in what appeared to be an act of affection. He then asked if he could look at the marks on the boyÃÔ buttocks, something which he in fact did. Another boy was beaten by Roebuck when he failed to keep up on a run. Å©e, too, was left feeling considerable distress and humiliation. A third boy, who now plays for a local team, received similar treatment, being beaten by Roebuck and asked to show the marks. The second boy, now living South Africa, said: Ū did not consent to any assault but he is a dominant person who makes you feel that you must do as he says. ■ Roebuck was originally accused of indecent assault but pleaded guilty to lesser charges of common assault. However, the judge said he did not accept the purity of RoebuckÃÔ motives. He said: Ūt was not appropriate to administer corporal punishment to boys of this age in circumstances such as these. It seems so unusual that it must have been done to satisfy some need in you. ■ He had been a long term supporter of underprivileged African students, paying their way through university and allowing them to live in his homes. ■ Former Somerset cricket captain Peter Roebuck has been given a suspended jail sentence after admitting caning three young cricketers he had offered to coach. Roebuck, 45, of Exmouth in Devon, pleaded guilty to three charges of common assault involving three South African teenagers between 1 April and 31 May, 1999. He had pleaded not guilty to three counts of causing actual bodily harm, which was accepted by the prosecution. Roebuck was sentenced to four months in jail for each count, with the sentences suspended for two years, at Taunton Crown Court. Judge Graham Hume Jones told Roebuck he had abused his power and influence over the boys, who were far from home and far from friends and family. The court heard how Roebuck caned the young cricketers on the buttocks after they failed to meet his standards during coaching sessions at his former home in Taunton. Roebuck met the three young cricketers, Keith Whiting, Reginald Keats and Henk Lindeque, who were all 19 at the time of the offences, while working as a commentator abroad. He invited the men to live at his home near Taunton and promised to coach them. He said he warned each young man beforehand that he would use corporal punishment if they failed to obey his ÅÉouse rules? He also said he thought they were from a culture in which corporal punishment was accepted. The offences came to light when one of the cricketers showed the marks Roebuck had caused to the secretary of BishopÃÔ Lydeard Cricket Club, who passed the matter to the police. Paul Mendelle, defending, said Roebuck was a ÅÄomplex man who set high standards for himself and expected them of others, and who had used corporal punishment only to encourage the teenagers. Mr Mendelle said more than 20 other promising young cricketers had stayed at RoebuckÃÔ house while receiving coaching and had never complained about any inappropriate behaviour. UPDATE: Peter RoebuckÃÔ former employer, the Sydney Morning Herald, many hours after VEXNEWS was first with the worst, has confirmed what many suspected: A Cape Town detective and a uniformed police officer from the sexual crimes unit began speaking with Roebuck, 55, in his room at the Southern Sun Hotel, Newlands, about 9pm. Roebuck, who was agitated, asked a fellow cricket journalist for help. Ǥan you come down to my room quickly? IÃ×e got a problem, he said. He asked for help to find a lawyer and for contact to be made with the students he helped to house in Pietermaritzburg, near Durban. VEXNEWS vindicated. His employers need to now explain themselves about what measures they took to ensure their own employee was not using his position of power and prestige in cricket to exploit vulnerable young people. UPDATE: A number of excitable tweeters thought it was appalling we dared write about these matters. We notice theyÃ×e gone quiet now.

[SachDan]

@nealcol Peter Roebuck won't RIP. It will all come out now. Sad but true. Tune in to @etvsunrise tomorrow at 7.15am to hear the truth.

[asterix]

@nealcol Peter Roebuck won't RIP. It will all come out now. Sad but true. Tune in to @etvsunrise tomorrow at 7.15am to hear the truth.

:hmmm:

[Late Cut]

Sadly sounds exactly like the situation at Penn State; sexual abuse, cover up and all. Dispicable; if these allegations are true, he got away easy.

[1983-2011]

did he have high blood pressure problems or Panic disorder by any chance, cops were talking to him but no one would just jump of the building straightaway, i think he panicked and probably felt that the whole world was against him

[ganeshran]

Technically the previous incident wasnt child abuse since the cricketers were 19 year old. Would be an abuse of authority and sexual misconduct.

[1983-2011]

Murky past... Child abuse... for caning 4 young men- if that is murky, child abuse & reason for suicide half the Indian population would commit suicide!! It used to be the most acceptable form of punishment in schools specially Catholic schools!!

we lnow what has happened to these priests at catholic schools, many victims are now coming out and speaking out against the sexual abuse and torture they faced as kids while at these catholic schools

[putrevus]

was he is predator who was prowling on kids, if so it is very very sad that they let this guy get away with so many things for this long.

[Karan114]

Police quizzed cricket writer Peter Roebuck about man before his death by: By Aaron Langmaid From: Herald Sun November 15, 2011 PETER Roebuck was being investigated over allegations of indecently assaulting a young man, according to reports in South Africa. The internationally renowned sports journalist died after plunging from the sixth floor of a Cape Town hotel while being questioned by police on Saturday night, the Herald Sun reported. Police had told Roebuck that a complaint of a sexual nature had been made against him by a friend he met on the internet, media reports said. It is alleged Roebuck, 55, met a man, 26, at the hotel with plans to discuss a possible university sponsorship. Roebuck is alleged to have tried to seduce the friend and have sex with him against his will, The New Age website said. Other sources said the investigation related to alleged indecent assault. Police sources said Roebuck was either going to be formally questioned in the Southern Sun Newlands Hotel on Saturday night, or arrested and taken to a station for questioning over the allegations. It is believed Roebuck moved towards a window and jumped out. South Africa's Times Live website revealed that the Independent Complaints Directorate - the body that reviews deaths that occur in police custody or as a result of police action - was also investigating the death. "Apparently police had gone to the hotel to take him to the police station to question him and then he died," said ICD spokesman Moses Dlamini. Dennis Chadya, one of many students Roebuck helped house and educate in his adopted South African home town of Pietermaritzburg, said his death and the allegations were a shock. "We cannot comment on the allegations as we have not heard anything official," he told the Herald Sun. "But he was a father to me and I don't think any son would take that lightly. He was not only supporting us financially he was helping us with all accommodation and living expenses. "All that he was doing here was giving. If you look at the number of people he helped throughout the world you can see he was one of a kind." Another student, Mathias Chirombo, said he could not believe Roebuck would kill himself. He had emailed him only hours earlier and had been in good spirits. "I'm trying to make sense of it all. I really don't get it - I want to know what really went wrong in just a few hours," he said. The results of an autopsy may not be available for at least six weeks. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/police-quizzed-cricket-writer-peter-roebuck-about-man-before-his-death/story-e6frf7lf-1226194976456