Robinho charged. He's innocent isn't he?

Robinho being charged for ‘a sexual assault’ came into the news hardly as a surprise. Commentators, laymen, and indeed I have all seemed to have come to the conclusion that it’s just an accusation. In a time when convection rates are at an all time low this is a worrying assumption. Whilst I wouldn’t judge pre judgement on Robinho, the fact that any judgement is leant towards the accused and not the accuser speaks volumes for the regard that the court system in sexual assault cases is held.

It’s in this situation that rare sympathy can be afforded to footballers. In the last few years a group of players including Titus Bramble and Carlton Cole were accused of raping a young girl. There was no conviction, but Max Clifford was hired to represent the girl. Not a lawyer, no private detective. Instead a PR expert.

Robin van Persie was accused, but the case was thrown out due to a complete lack of evidence. His ‘victim’s’ name was in the newspaper, something that can’t happen in law without her consent. Whilst it’s impossible to imagine the horror of such an ordeal, should it have happened it’s doubtful a true victim would be comfortable speaking about it in a newspaper.

Christiano Ronaldo was another. His case thrown out due to a lack of evidence.

Paul Dicov, Keith Gillespie and Frank Sinclair have all be charged and later cleared due to a lack of evidence, and there are more.

Is it any wonder then, with such accusations made with no evidence that the natural assumption for Robinho is not guilty? Footballers are subject to women throwing themselves at them on a regular basis. Even Van Persie’s accuser spoke of wanting to have sex ‘with a nice footballer.’ This huge lack of awareness for their value as a woman carries more far more repercussions than damaging footballers' egos; It carries right through to affect genuine victims of rape.

Why have these cases been allowed to go to court with such a lack of evidence? Don’t the Police check if there are facts before charging? Apparently not, the word rape is enough. If any progression with conviction rates is to take place then the focus must shift to deciding if a case is warranted, or if it is a case of a girl wanting sex with a nice footballer and either regretting it later or wanting to see her name in the papers.

As long as this trend continues women and real victims will continue to suffer without justice.