• Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech
Stories from SWNS
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Stories from SWNS
No Result
View All Result
Home News

‘Lie back and ENJOY rape’: What female former mayor told gobsmacked colleagues at council meeting

by
April 15, 2014
in News
0
Barbara Driver told colleagues 'lie back and enjoy' rape

Barbara Driver told colleagues 'lie back and enjoy' rape

0
SHARES
40
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Barbara Driver told colleagues 'lie back and enjoy' rape
Barbara Driver told colleagues ‘lie back and enjoy’ rape

A Tory councillor has apologised after saying “when rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it” during a council meeting.

Former mayor Barbara Driver stunned colleagues by using the phrase to describe how powerless planners are to control a housing development.

She said: “There is a saying and I am going to say it: When rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.”

Cllr Driver is now facing calls to resign from Cheltenham Borough Council after her “repulsive” comments provoked fury from colleagues, constituents and sex abuse charities.

The 77-year-old – who last year lead a report looking at sexual exploitation – has apologised but said she doesn’t intend to stand down.

Speaking from her home she said: “Unfortunately it was wrong what I said.  By no way do I condone rape – it is atrocious.

“I was trying to put across – badly I will say – the fact of developers having not put much social and affordable housing in and the council saying we can’t do anything about it.

“But I used a term that I had heard years ago without thinking.  It was totally dreadful.  it was done without thinking about the rape bit.  I know that sounds silly.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Jeffries, lead member for safeguarding, said: “I think she let herself down and she let the council down.

“It was an atrocious thing to say in the middle of a meeting about housing.”

  • [link_post id=”47511″]
  • [link_post id=”47660″]

Fellow Lib Dem councillor Rowena Hay said she was shocked – especially since Driver lead a report looking at sexual exploitation in Cheltenham just last year.

She said: “It is not something I would expect to hear from an experienced councillor in a public meeting that was extremely well attended, particularly from Barbara Driver who championed and lead the sexual exploitation working group.

“I think the most shocking thing for me is that it trivialises those people who have been through rape and the crisis that causes in those people’s lives.

“Barbara is an extremely hard working councillor and I would never take that away from her.

“Trying to get victims of domestic violence and rape taken seriously has taken years. To have somebody diminish that is just beyond belief.”

She made the comments during a debate on plans to build 30,000 homes in Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester on Wednesday.

It is understood the councillor was comparing rape to a developer’s ability to tell a council how many affordable homes it is willing to build on a specific site.

She provoked fury on Twitter with one person describing her remarks as “disgraceful” adding that she “needs to resign after that”.

Another person said the rape comment was “absolutely shocking” while someone else said they were “gob smacked”.

Karen Clarke, from the Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, criticised the remarks.

She said: “Making these comments, that have nothing to do with what she was talking about, is quite shocking.

“Rape has a devastating impact and there’s no possibility that anyone could ever lie back and enjoy it.

“When people in positions of power make throw away and flippant comments like this it perpetuates the myths around rape.

“Someone in a position of authority should know better. Apologies are not enough.”

Three official complaints have been made prompting the referral of the matter to the council’s monitoring officer who will consult with two independent advisors.

They will decide what action to take – and whether to refer the incident to the standards committee – within four weeks.

A Cheltenham Borough Council spokeswoman added: “The council has taken the matter seriously, as has Councillor Driver, and a full and sincerely apology has been issued to the mayor and copied to all councillors”.

Councillor Driver has apologised in an open letter to the council in which she said her remark was “completely inappropriate and thoughtless and should not have been said”.

She added yesterday: “I was thinking more about the control – the developers having control over what goes on and the council trying to take back control.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

When asked to respond to those who have called for her resignation she said: “That is there right, to say that if that’s what they think.

“But I’ve had also quite a few people saying yes you shouldn’t have said it but please don’t go anywhere.”

Previous Post

TV presenter Quentin Wilson backs used car warranty service… and he’ll deal personally with complaints

Next Post

Police officer sacked after ‘branding bosses lower than slime on fake Twitter account’

Next Post
PC Tony Ryan who has been sacked for allegedly running a Twitter page criticising Avon and Somerset police

Police officer sacked after 'branding bosses lower than slime on fake Twitter account'

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 121 Followers
  • 60k Followers
  • 189k Subscribers
  • 23.8k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

March 5, 2014
The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

January 21, 2014
The horses thunder towards a jump at the Grand National

Amazing racehorse names which never made it

April 23, 2014
HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

January 14, 2019
Chris Fear, 33, outside the Coral betting shop which is refusing to pay out on his 485/1 winning bet

Boycott Coral! Bookmaker faces protest after refusing to pay out on a football fan’s 485/1 bet

184
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

147
Women feel invisible to the opposite sex at the age of 51, researchers found

Women begin feeling invisible to men ‘when they turn 51’

138
UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

105
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023
Bloomcare Rowan Garth: Reintegration Care

Bloomcare Rowan Garth: Reintegration Care

March 8, 2023

Recent News

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023
Bloomcare Rowan Garth: Reintegration Care

Bloomcare Rowan Garth: Reintegration Care

March 8, 2023
SWNS

SWNS all rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Auto
  • Blog
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Gaming
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Pictures
  • Property
  • Review
  • Sport
  • SWNS
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.