Holy Buck, Fatman!

I’m paraphrasing. But HELL—The Judge pretty much said JUST THAT.

The victim was assaulted in broad daylight, at an Exxon station while a cop witnessed it. From the Sun:

The officer testified in court that she was 25 feet from the car at the time of the incident.

“I witnessed him use his right hand, not in a fist, but in, I guess, an open hand, and push the female’s face. … As I saw him grabbing her hair … and trying to pull her out, that’s when I called it on the radio,” the officer said, according to a recording of the hearing.

The woman told the officer that Webb had attempted to pull her out of the vehicle, causing her hairpiece to fall off, and that he hit her in the face, though she characterized it as “more of a tap than a punch.” The woman had no visible injuries, police said.

Alrighty then. So, the Judge says in response to this:

But when the alleged victim didn’t show up in court, Circuit Court Judge Paul Harris said it didn’t matter what the officer saw.

“The state is stepping into the shoes of the victim when she obviously doesn’t care,” the judge said Oct. 3 before acquitting Michael Antonio Webb of second-degree assault. “It’s that big brother mentality of the state. I know it’s your policy (to bring domestic abuse cases without victims), and I appreciate that and I’m not faulting it, but I have to decide the case on what I have. I think a crucial element is missing.”

The judge said without the victim’s testimony, he couldn’t be sure she didn’t want to be beaten.

“You have very rare cases. Sadomasochists sometimes like to be beat up,” he said.

Sadomasochists.

Yes, My friends. Victims of Domestic Violence who are terrified of their attackers and refuse to testify in court against the abuse because they fear the repercussions can now be classified as sadomasichists.

What. The. Fuck?

I’ll be honest. I was TERRIFIED to bring charges against my ex husband. He threatened to kill my cats. He threatened to take my daughter away. He said that if I left him, he would sue me for all the money I made (he didn’t work) and tell the courts I was a bad mom. He held knives to my throat and said that he would push deeper if I called the cops. I escaped under the cover of darkness and only after I knew he wasn’t home. This was in 1996. I didn’t bring charges against him until 2003.(for abuse related to my daughter and threats made to myself) That’s…Hmm.. SEVEN YEARS LATER! I remember his attorney questioning my attorney on why I “wanted to do this now.” My attorney replied, “When you have someone standing behind you ensuring your safety, confrontation isn’t as scary.” She was referring to my current husband, who, at 6 ft and roughly 250lbs, could pound my 160 lb ex into pulp if he went near his girls. Believe me, he wanted to. However, my husband has self control and conducts himself like a real man. Meaning? Violence is never the answer. It’s the last resort of self defense.

I suspect the victim in this case is terrified as well. I bet her attacker made similar threats to her if she talked. I suspect that even though he is in jail, she believes he could make parole without her knowing and come after her for disobeying him. I know her fear all too well.

Judge Harris, the judge who put the victim on trial instead of the attacker, doesn’t give a flying fuck. Especially if he is seriously labling the girl a “sadomasochist.”

Judge Harris, you’re dead to me.