Roy Harper Charged With Sexual Assault of a Child

[Gavin B.]

From Rolling Stone:

Roy Harper, the English folk singer who sang with Pink Floyd and influenced Led Zeppelin, has been charged with sexual assault in connection with a case dating back to the mid-Seventies. According to the BBC, British authorities have charged Harper, 72, with nine counts of sexually abusing a girl in Herefordshire, England, between 1975-77, starting when she was 12.

Many forum members may not have heard of Harper, but he was tremendously influential back in the day and was frequently compared to other UK folk bards like Donovan and Nick Drake. The singer has released more than 20 studio albums since his 1966 debut, Sophisticated Beggar, including the 1985 album Whatever Happened to Jugula, recorded with Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull once cited Harper as a primary influence on his songwriting, and younger bands including Fleet Foxes have mentioned Harper as a musical inspiration.

His new album Man & Myth (2013) received universally positive reviews and is considered a comeback album for Harper.

[The Batlord]

I wonder if Steve Tyler is next?

[GuD]

My money's on Axl Rose. I always caught a creeper vibe from that guy.

On a more serious note, this is terrible news but pedophilia is a mental illness and it's kind of not fair to judge people for it despite how awful their actions are. Really, what needs to happen is more investment in researching the problem because it seems like it's becoming more common. I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the Western world's obsession with youth but then again sexual abuse overall is a lot more common in undeveloped countries than it is here, especially in India, South America, and certain parts of greater Eurasia.

[Gavin B.]

At one point Pete Townsend was investigated for kiddie porn. He convinced the authorities that he was doing research on child abuse. Apparently the authorities bought his story because of the themes of his own child abuse in the rock opera Tommy.

There's are literally hundreds of rock musicians who have had sex with underage groupies. You can bust everyone in Led Zeppelin on that charge. But is having sexual relations with an underage groupie in the same pathological category as a sexual predator of children?

[GuD]

It started when she was 12 in this case so... yeah, I'd say that's abuse.


Little confessional comin on here but it's relevant to the topic:

I had my first sexual relationship when I was 16 with a 22yo college chick. At the time it seemed cool. In retrospect, she was a little messed up in the head but nothing major (came from a very unsupportive and dismissive family). It was completely consensual, I might've gotten into it for the wrong reason(s) but I knew exactly what I was doing. I don't regret that I had sex with someone older than me, either.

People look at teenagers like they're children- they're not. They're not adults either but they're faced with some of the same decisions and make some of the same mistakes as adults when it comes to relationships. Teenagers have sex, everyone knows that. Not all of them obviously but it happens often enough to make note of. I think age of consent laws are absolutely necessary and there definitely needs to be a line drawn somewhere, lots of creepers out there that could easily take advantage of youth. BUT, at the same time, a lot of people (at least from my experience) start having sex at around 16. As adults, who are we to tell them who they should and shouldn't have sex with? Wouldn't it be better to just be open with them and, as with anything else, do the best we can to teach them to think for themselves and make informed decisions? A little off-tangent here but if a parent can't do at least that much than should they really even be having kids in the first place? What kind of adult are they bringing into a world that's already faced with the oncoming crisis of overpopulation??

EDIT: I realize that since things worked out for me and since I'm a straight white male in America (any chance to drop an Andrew JJ reference, ANY) my view on this might come across as a little biased. Just wanted to stress that I'm aware that there are PLENTY of cases where things don't work out the way they did for me and the underaged persons more than likely ended up being scarred for life. All I'm saying is that I think teenagers should be given more credit for being human beings capable of wise decisions; I wouldn't be surprised if teens who felt infantilized were the ones acting out and making dumb decisions, IE sleeping with someone older because they could buy them the clothes their parents wouldn't.

[Mr. Charlie]

I'm not sure it's fair that the media/authorities name people who have only been charged and yet to be found guilty in a court of law as, guilty or innocent, it stains their name and reputation for life. If they're found guilty, then that's different, they brought it on themselves.

Originally Posted by WhateverDude

On a more serious note, this is terrible news but pedophilia is a mental illness and it's kind of not fair to judge people for it despite how awful their actions are. Really, what needs to happen is more investment in researching the problem because it seems like it's becoming more common. I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the Western world's obsession with youth but then again sexual abuse overall is a lot more common in undeveloped countries than it is here, especially in India, South America, and certain parts of greater Eurasia.

It is a mental illness, you're right, and needs to be treated as such. But I believe it's roots are in the desire for having complete power over someone rather than an obsession with the notion of youth.