Thoughts?

[Canary_Yellow]

If he’s not a paedo what is he?

A child rapist?

A sex offender, convicted of child grooming and sexual activity with a minor

 

[Deleted member 1147]

A sex offender, convicted of child grooming and sexual activity with a minor

Is that not statutory rape?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Does the club in question interview prospective new members or is it a case of hand over a cheque and you're in?

 

[BrianM]

Does the club in question interview prospective new members or is it a case of hand over a cheque and you're in?

Surely you could say they about any club or do you know that every member of your clubs are squeaky clean, your hardly going to admit during an interview ‘any crime’ you’ve been convicted of, if they aren’t going to find out.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Surely you could say they about any club or do you know that every member of your clubs are squeaky clean, your hardly going to admit during an interview ‘any crime’ you’ve been convicted of, if they aren’t going to find out.

I'm not saying everyone at my club is squeaky clean but applications go up on the board for a month so if anyone dodgy applies there is at least a chance someone will spot it. Proprietary clubs tend to be more interested in the money.

 

[BrianM]

I'm not saying everyone at my club is squeaky clean but applications go up on the board for a month so if anyone dodgy applies there is at least a chance someone will spot it. Proprietary clubs tend to be more interested in the money.

Don’t mean it like that, but there is hell of a lot worse than Adam Johnson in clubs around the country, we are just unaware of there past, you might get drawn with them in the weekly medal and be completely unaware, maybe they have mended their ways and are trying to move on and be a better person.

 

[clubchamp98]

How do you know one of the existing members isn’t a sex offender?

I don’t disagree at all with members having the option to veto a proposed member by the way, and in these circumstances, I’d be fine if my club blocked Johnson.

That’s a good point ,I don’t know .
But I DO know AJ is ,,that’s the difference.
I can’t do anything about something I don’t know.!

 

[clubchamp98]

You know he has served his sentence, probably on license, on the sex offenders register and everybody knows who he is. I am sure he is not going to get a great welcome wherever he goes. But because of all that he is probably less at risk of reoffending than most people.

I've been in prison for GBH, an example you gave. I got 15 months and it messed up my life alot. I can see now that I deserved what I got but once you serve your sentence you should be able to try and get back on with your life as much as possible. He gota long enough sentence so that was the length the court decided he should be away for and now that's up.

When I got released I was told to try and get back to normal as soon as possible but to know that people will judge me for what I did and it would be hard. I was on tag/curfew for a while so that was impossible. I trie dto go back to my old football club but they said they didn't want me back while I was on tag and then when I finished on tag it took a while to go back.

I know my situation is way different but when people who don't know me find out I've been in prison they usually think I must be a total scumbag and say stuff sure nobody goes to prison here unless it's so bad but that's not true. After getting out I felt people around were talking about me and so I ended up moving away when I could for a fresh start. I could do that because I am a nobody but he would be known anywhere.

If the golf club decided to allow him be a member then that should be that. Unless people want all "criminals" to be kept away from everybody else just in case we re-offend. It doesn't make sense to me. Some people will get back in trouble again and will probably get longer sentences but from what I know this is much more likely to happen if they are kept away from work and other things instead of us being allowed to try and have a normal life again.

GBH is a fight that’s got out of hand? Maybe.
But child grooming is on another scale.

Hope you are doing ok.

 

[BrianM]

That’s a good point ,I don’t know .
But I DO know AJ is ,,that’s the difference.
I can’t do anything about something I don’t know.!

That’s just pleading ignorance, if you really wanted to find out you could, but the reality is you’re not bothered.

 

[clubchamp98]

That’s just pleading ignorance, if you really wanted to find out you could, but the reality is you’re not bothered.

That’s a strange statement.
How do you know what I can be bothered to do.?
Have you checked the past of everyone you know.

 

[BrianM]

That’s a strange statement.
How do you know what I can be bothered to do.?

I don’t, my point is do you know that every person at your club had never been convicted of ‘any’ crime, regardless of what it was, if you were that bothered, you’d find out.

 

[clubchamp98]

I don’t, my point is do you know that every person at your club had never been convicted of ‘any’ crime, regardless of what it was, if you were that bothered, you’d find out.

Why . Were not talking about ANY crime.
But if I knew a sex offender was trying to join I would black ball them. Or leave!

 

[BrianM]

Why . Were not talking about ANY crime.
But if I knew a sex offender was trying to join I would black ball them. Or leave!

Know one would knowingly want him at there club, and I agree fully about blackballing them or leaving, my point is how do you know your not playing with a convicted rapist every week, you don’t, you don’t know every person you play with, you only see, what you want to see.

 

[HamiltonGuy]

Is that not statutory rape?

No only statutory rape if they are under 13.

Another poster has already explained the difference between peadophile and a sex offender

 

[Ross61]

Canary_Yellow said:
A sex offender, convicted of child grooming and sexual activity with a minor

Is that not statutory rape?

Only statutory rape if child is under 13

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm not saying everyone at my club is squeaky clean but applications go up on the board for a month so if anyone dodgy applies there is at least a chance someone will spot it. Proprietary clubs tend to be more interested in the money.

We are a members club and so never put applications up for members to view but neither do we simply take the cash. There is an interview process, albeit not the formal jacket and tie in front of the committee type of yesteryear, but still a chance for the club to assess the potential member and vice versa. I would hope in this case if Johnson was to rock up and apply, he'd be treated based on his application and golfing history. I completely and 100% accept the club has a duty of care to the other members including juniors and the young girls in particular, but by the same token how many other members have done equally bad things and served time in golf clubs, which has never come out as they aren't "known" in the same way. There would arguably be just as much risk of reoffending as in the Johnson case but as the club don't know about it how would they take steps?

As I've said before, in my mind it is clear he simply wants to join, turn up and play for a few hours and have some time away from too many people going "that's that convicted predator Johnson" and the like. If the club is half decent it will have a robust child protection policy in place and can manage the potential for Johnson to be drawn with under age players in competitions. It is clear his actions have polarised opinion (which is fine) but I wonder how level a playing field it is because of who he is against an ordinary man in the street

 

[clubchamp98]

Know one would knowingly want him at there club, and I agree fully about blackballing them or leaving, my point is how do you know your not playing with a convicted rapist every week, you don’t, you don’t know every person you play with, you only see, what you want to see.

Sorry I don’t see what that’s got to do with him trying to join a club.

To take your point to the next level ,should I check everyone at Anfield 60,000 before I take my granddaughter to the match.
It’s unrealistic to check 700 members at my club.
I would imagine the data protection act would stop this anyway .

 

[Orikoru]

Sorry I don’t see what that’s got to do with him trying to join a club.

To take your point to the next level ,should I check everyone at Anfield 60,000 before I take my granddaughter to the match.
It’s unrealistic to check 700 members at my club.
I would imagine the data protection act would stop this anyway .

I think his point is people are kicking off about Johnson because he's famous, whereas there could be and probably are far worse people who are members at all of our golf clubs, yet we have no idea.

 

[Swango1980]

Sorry I don’t see what that’s got to do with him trying to join a club.

To take your point to the next level ,should I check everyone at Anfield 60,000 before I take my granddaughter to the match.
It’s unrealistic to check 700 members at my club.
I would imagine the data protection act would stop this anyway .

Would you take your grand daughter to the match if you found out Adam Johnson was a season ticket holder and likely to be there?

 

[clubchamp98]

I think his point is people are kicking off about Johnson because he's famous, whereas there could be and probably are far worse people who are members at all of our golf clubs, yet we have no idea.

Yes I know that , but I am not going to check the background of people.
This is what he suggested

I don’t, my point is do you know that every person at your club had never been convicted of ‘any’ crime, regardless of what it was, if you were that bothered, you’d find out.

Why would I find out?
We were discussing a sex offender joining the club , not the rest of the membership .