Steven Lock, 43, and a woman in her forties, who cannot be named
for legal reasons, began a relationship based around sado-masochistic role play
after meeting on a dating website.
But prosecutors alleged that last August the fantasy went too far
as Lock chained the women "like a dog" to his bedroom floor and whipped her
repeatedly with a rope.
He denied assault causing actual bodily harm, saying the woman had
consented.
During the trial, Lock was asked by defence counsel Roger Thomson
if he and the alleged victim had read Fifty Shades Of Grey.
He replied: "That's where we got the idea from."
The court heard the couple took part in group sex and bondage together and the woman had the words "Property of Steven Lock" tattooed around her genitals.
The woman also signed a contract promising Mr Lock free use of her body and entitling him to lash her if she did not follow his rules.
Lock told the court the woman consented to the activity and the couple agreed on the code word "Red", which was to be used if either of them began to feel uncomfortable.
The woman, who told the court she broke down in tears and screamed as she was beaten 14 times with the rope, never used this word.
She said: "I knew there would be pain involved and I knew I wasn't going to like it but I'd agreed to it and had to follow it through."
Mr Thomson said Lock felt bad about what he had done.
Giving evidence, Lock said: "It was supposed to be kinky fun, I
didn't want her to cry."
She suffered bruising to the buttocks and neck.
After the lashings, the couple had sex then Lock left her chained
to the floor while he went on his computer, the court heard.
"Fifty Shades Of Grey is not a manual: it's a work of
fiction and this is a case which demonstrates that things can go wrong."
Prosecutor Duncan O'Donnell told jurors: "It was part of a
master-slave fantasy and she went there expecting a fantasy when Mr Lock wanted
reality.
"She may have expected some playful spanking, to be hit lightly
perhaps, but she received a lashing with a rope."
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Ooops. Im really not sure what i think about this, part of me thinks "silly naive woman" but i also appreciate that sometimes we all make rash errors of judgement in the heat of the moment, i have acted on my naivety before and reality doesnt always live up to the fantasy but in this case it just went horribly wrong,
Scenes sometimes go very wrong. Usually, it is a guy who steps beyond consent. Rarely, does it end in court, but often the female is left with terrible feelings of guilt.
ReplyDeleteHug,
joey
They do yes and this one well very much so which im inclined to think is a case of not really communicating well what each other expects etc.
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Wow. Thanks for posting this. It's a great example of what can happen when neither person quite knows what they're doing. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite scary i think, a prime example of why its so important to communicate about each others wants, needs and expectations.
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Do your homework people! I honestly don't understand how some people can be so stupid. A work of fiction is not a how to manual. It may give you ideas, but a certain amount of research and practice needs to be done before you actually enter into this type of arrangement.
ReplyDeleteYep absolutley, its easier to blame the book, films etc but ultimatley there has to be a level of personal responsibility.
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I know what to think about it - people read a silly piece of popular fiction that started out in a website as a Twilight fanfiction, written by a suburban soccer mom who had no idea what she was writing about - and think they know all there is to know. They don't seek more information. They don't seek mentors. They don't understand the psychology of D/s, M/s. They don't know what they're doing. They think it's a game. And then they get splattered all over the news and people look at us like we're demented - sigh.
ReplyDelete*dismounting soapbox* What Mrs. D said - do your homework. This is not something to be taken lightly.
Oh June im cracking up over this, you certainly dont mince your words and i like that, and i agree with all what you have said.
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Exactly what June says. I wonder why anyone would base what might be a lifestyle choice on one trilogy. Having said that people don't always communicate in the way they should and things do go wrong I met my Sir for the first time in a massive rule break in terms of safety. All turned out well, but it might not have. I had however read much more about D/s before hand and we had discussed exactly what might happen.
ReplyDeleteYep im along the same line of thinking as you...clearly a lack of communicating and understanding which are so important.
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Have....no.....words....
ReplyDeleteExcept you can't fix stupid.
Hugs,
mouse
lol that is so very true, havent heard that phrase in a long time and so apt on this occassion.
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i think this is an interesting, and well reasoned case where the court upheld a legal and binding contract between two consenting adults. The courts need to think like this more often.
ReplyDeleteTo the point of using "50 Shades" as a guide, it's no different than kids putting a bath towel around their neck and jumping off the garage roof after watching Superman (not me, my brother). It's not very bright, but don't blame Clark Kent and don't sue "The Daily Planet."
I agree, we all need to take some personal responsibility, its easy to play the blame game, and sure we all make errors in judgement at times, in this case i think it was a lack of communication.
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