The British justice system ruled community service instead of prison for a young man who sexually assaulted a woman in Dorset, while at the same time a well-known comedian was arrested for expressing opinions on social media, exposing the contradiction of the judicial system regarding physical crimes and opinion crimes.
A British court decided to release Ayomide Famakinde, a 23-year-old man of Nigerian origin, who was found guilty of sexual assault against a young woman in the coastal town of Bournemouth in August 2022.
The judge determined that the attack constituted a "momentary aberration" and took into account the accused's "troubled background and difficult life" as mitigating factors, replacing the prison sentence with an 18-month community order and 150 hours of unpaid work.
The events occurred when the 19-year-old victim was with a friend on the beach. According to the reconstruction in court, Famakinde, under the influence of drugs, approached the young woman, grabbed her, and put his hand inside her pants. Despite her attempts to defend herself and her screams, the accused continued the assault until both fell to the ground and a companion of the young man pulled him away. Afterwards, both left the scene, leaving the victim in a state of shock.
During the judicial process, the young woman stated that the attack "ruined her life" and that since then she doesn't feel safe walking alone. However, the judge considered that a custodial sentence would be "too severe", referring to the accused's difficult childhood in the British care system after emigrating from Nigeria.
