A Brit from Qatar faces caning

Flor,it's not your reading,it's your comprehension that is WRONG...you're repeating EXACTLY the point i'm trying to make,in YOUR country,a woman would be FAR LESS likely to complain, especially against the white man,than a woman from Singapore...the tubelight  rarely flickers on eh?...

Absolutely right jjj. Easy to point fingers at others when the truth hits home.

BE  - Quite - 'nuff said

He groped . She complained. Now he may pay the price. End of story .

flor - on that basis, why keep mentioning this guy is british, why keep mentioning he is white, why keep mentioning he is english, why keep saying he is from Doha. It somehow aligns bad behavior with being white, being english, being british etc.

This was a tedious article and I think we all gave it too much 'air time' than it truly deserved, there are other things we should be talking about that are far more important.

When you boil down the facts they are as follows:

Woman goes to a bar

Woman gets her bottom pinched

Woman (in my opinion) over reacts and calls the police

END of story - big deal

" This guy was stupid enough to think Singapore is like Thailand or the Phillipines where a white guy could get away with such behaviour.".Now tell me if I read it wrong?Like what I said above, if no one complain, then maybe it's ok.  But if anyone complain, then the problem starts.  So never compare Singapore with our country when it come to stupid strangers, whetehr white or not!Alumnar, the country in topic is Singapore, why the need to include others and malign it the way it was mentioned? And your incidents is not isolated.  Even me, whether with my wife or other friends, hookers will come and offer anything propesterous. And it happens not only in our country but in other countries we visited.

who are the 'others" ?

..Had been checking with friends in Singapore and the story goes like they use a softer cane for the white guys and a bit thicker one for the brown guys and maybe a bit thicker and harder cane for the others.

Maybe the guy shortchanged her and she got upset? He certainly needs to learn how to 'recruit' a woman!

Flor, a white guy doesn't need to worry about getting away with that kind of behaviour in your country. A married white man walking along hand in hand with his wife gets approached by h**kers! What does that tell you? And before you cry foul, it happened to my husband and I over and over again in your country, where we lived for 2 years. No respect whatsoever. Sad but true.

Flor, i would recommend you actually read before you post,when you say "tolerated",you are referring to the law,i was talking about how women would react to the same situation differently,let's not argue the fact that an act like this is LESS likely to produce a reaction in your country than it is in Singapore...like it or not that is a fact...i am not going to say the "right thing" simply not to offend you...& btw,it's not an 'accusation',it's an observation,your English language skills leave a lot to be desired it must be said...India's economy is booming yet so many people don't have one square meal a day or toilet facilities forcing them to go out in the open,if someone said that about India,i wouldn't say "i find that offensive" because offensive or not,it's a fact...& if you are not surprised,why are you posting about it?!...over & out,i will not debate this topic any further with you because from past experience i have(as have lots of others) realized that you are completely incapable of holding one...good day!...

dp

you think this is tolerated in our country?  Slow down in your accusation! But knowing yourline of thinking, I am not surprised.  You're just like the rest, as it seems you don't belong in this part of theworld?

24 lashes are too much...just about 4 to 6 are enough to tear off the skin and the butt to bleed. 24 lashes would actually pull out the flesh..

well if you are standing on the train, you are not moving and I know a deliberate grope from an accidental brush past and NO I did not enjoy it.

JJJ75 - Well have been to far worse off and more crowded places then HK. At some of this places you dont need to grab or grope but are literally carried along with the human wave at this stations and no time to bother or look back at who is grabbing whom or what

GOJ - that is offensive, have you ever been on the underground in HK in rush hour. You literally are hemmed in and cannot move so if someone starts to pinch etc you cannot do anything about it, unlike a nightclub where the person can just walk off.

And BTW I was 15 and very naive about the ways of the world but when I was older and wiser I would take an umbrella to poke them or stamp on their feet

The maximum sentence for the crime is two years in prison coupled with a fine and a lashing across the bare butt with a rattan cane. The penalties can (and likely will) be changed if the judge feels like avoiding an international incident.The groping occurred at the luxurious China One nightclub where Cowburn, a recruitment specialist currently working in Qatar, proved to be not so great at his job after all.http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/08/01/austin-cowburn-british-tourist-faces-caning-for-singaporean-gr/

A) A man shouldn't do this to a woman ANYWHERE...period.

B) This guy was stupid enough to think Singapore is like Thailand or the Phillipines where a white guy could get away with such behaviour...WRONG...

As the saying goes,can't do the time,don't do the crime...yes they could just detain him for a few days but he will bl%$y well go out there & do it again somewhere else HOWEVER, 24 lashes with that rattan cane on his rearend & there is a VERY low chance of him doing it again!...

This all of course only if he is proven guilty because who knows,that poor Asian girl may have been trying to hook him &  he,being the gentleman that he is may have refused her advances & this is just her taking revenge...tsk tsk,what an uncivilized world we live in eh?...did we not learn anything about civilized behaviour over centuries of colonization?...

JJJ75 - Perhaps you enjoyed the attention and no wonder it went on and on. They also must have had a good time grabbing some fair stuff. I suppose the feelings were mutual.

Tell you what, I grew up in HK and this woman just would not have survived. I was regularly felt up on the undergound in rush hour (and I cannot have been more than 15) but you did not see me running to the police or complaining to the local papers - and BTW they were locals who invariably did the touchy feely. I just thought how disgusting, a bunch of pervs and nothing more.

Also BE - correct me if I am wrong but no one has put a name to the article, again methinks a bit of bitterness all round

If you think its over the top, then read this regarding the case :O(

http://www.cityjournalistdirectory.com/event/brain_dead_english_lump_of_wood_austin_cowburn_set_for_caning_in_singapore__15386/

ouch!!!! tsk.tsk..

no complaint, no harm.  Like here in QAtar, as long as no one complain, you can do whatever violation or "seem" a violation of the law or culture.  But if it's your unlucky day and someone complain, that's the end of your happy days! Lol!

GOJ - I agree this guy deserves what he gets if convicted (sorry not sure if he has or has not been convicted yet). But I would say this is a bit of an over reaction compared to a lot of what is going on in the world today.

and just imagine what mental anguish and suffering  and loss of face and respect this guys action  must have caused the poor victim who was grabbed infront of her colleagues and friends.

what is socialy acceptable in almost all societies,ie you dont touch strangers on innapropriate places or at all actually,respect people,conduct yourself in a PC manner as is demanded in this day and age.Read more: http://www.qatarliving.com/node/1999566#new#ixzz1Tl8XCTVe

I really hope you give lessons on that.... have had more men trying to press themselves against me when walking past me in Qatar than I even had a man stare at me anywhere else..... as well as having my a** touched by a waiter in a well known local restaurant

Strange how in a country where its considered to be disrespectful to touch a women in public, I have sometimes felt like I was being undressed by mens eyes!!!

I would have hoped that working for a recruitment company he would have had a greater sense of what is socialy acceptable in almost all societies,ie you dont touch strangers on innapropriate places or at all actually,respect people,conduct yourself in a PC manner as is demanded in this day and age.I wonder how he carries on in Qatar,most likely just another yob in a suit.

I was pinched on the butt once in Qatar, I turned around and slapped the guy right across the face and told him to never persume to touch me EVER again.  He was so shocked he just turned and walked away.

I said I was acting out of "impulse" besides I don't talk to strangers who do wrong as it may lead to further conflict. Also, my 'flying kick' was not a result of good judgment but a natural reaction. I don't recommend anyone to do the same, just simply sharing an experience ... Actually the brit in the news was quite lucky he didn't do it to someone who had anger management issues, otherwise it would have been a double treat --- from the girl and from the law.

Flying kick..Oh,that's so brave of u Pacificline.. A slap on the face will do and the mid finger.but have to control the latter here..I might find myself in jail in a minute for that..:)

You never know, he might like the old cane ... :O)

t_coffee, I suggest you read what Good Old Joe has written and tell me that we are not on a slippery slope for a bit of mid morning bashing, I have seen it all before on QL - wanted to nip it in the bud before it got going.

flying kick had no place in the new millenium. You should given him a chance and talked to him.

These are the rules of the country and you face the music for breaking it.

They're caning him probably because he likes being spanked. Them Singaporeans have weird fetishes and can be quite kinky ya know :-P

Oh why caning? Anyway,if he did it,he has to pay for it.

The brit was wrong but caning and similar type of physical punishments have no place in the new millenium. Ok, fine and detain him few days so he learns his lesson. As for the chick in the bar, I myself have been groped twice in a busy public place and out of impulse I gave the guy a flying kick which jolted him. Just wondering what she did?

No body is bashing any one here.... why are you so bitter.

Not much sympathy for him but do please stop the unnecessary bashing, just makes you look bitter (GOJ I mean you!)

"Close pal Ian Tavill, 30, said: "This is not that surprising if you know Austin. He's a cheeky prankster who likes the ladies. He likes a night out and chatting up the girls. But this time it's gone horribly wrong."He likes chatting up girls and he was living in Doha!?!  :S Anyway, Singapore isn't Thailand, and he should have known that.  They can be as strict as Saudi when it comes to enforcing their rules. 

Any Qler in Singapore at present?

If he did it, then I have no sympathy.

It’s probably the case of another white guy getting a few drinks and thinking he can do whatever he wants to in an Asian country.  Mentioning Singapore, Thailand or Philippines draws a predator reaction from most white boys. No excuse for his behavior as it shows he has no respect.  

When they are white and british then it goes like they have not been judged yet or we do not know for sure he has done this, etc..The guy must have been caught on camera grabbing with both hands so its time to either be ready for the caning or to hire this lawyers from New York. 

None of us know for sure he has done this- so why go down the route of being judgemental?

Well he could try using the lawyers used by the IMF guy, Strauss Kahn and then they might come up with that this guy grabbed her bottom as she was about to fall and he was gently trying to break the fall.

He should have known better..now guess he'll find out the hard way!

Hi lovely - how are you? Where have you been?   Anyway, nice to see you again.   I am well - back in the UK at the moment and loving it.    As for 'grabbing an arse in a nightclub'.       If he is an *ss and he did that because he is a *ig and he thought women as cheap fodder - at best he is a male chauvinistic *ig.       We don't as yet know the full details. You and I agree on this - The Sun is a *rap newspaper.       Let's wait to see what the 'truth' is.       Read more: http://www.qatarliving.com/comment/reply/1999566#ixzz1TiX84SfT  

..or do you think the guy is extra special because he is BRITISH.  God knows what else he did  or got into with this woman besides grabbing the ladies bottom and just imagine if he had to do the same out here or in Saudi.The guy is lucky that the  British High Commission in Singapore is providing consular assistance. to make the beatings with the cane a bit more bearable. The guy must have probably been working as some sort of Manager with one of those funny titles out here 

Caning is one of the most common punishments there for petty offences...introduced by the British themselves.

Hi cabbage, how are you?I am not a Sun reader. Never liked it.But come on, let's assume it is a typing mistake. Let's assume the reporter heard Dohaa (as we pronounce it) and thought Doha should end with an 'r'.Like we see lots of spelling mistakes made here  in Doha(r) (too many to mention here), let's give the reporter a break. :-)Nonetheless, Cowburn has to face the music. Bit tough for him though, as I would have thought grabbing someone's bottom in a nightclub is something that is not uncommon and part of the fun in any nightclub.May be because he is British Singapore Police is making a storm out of it. May be if he was Singaporean, it would have passed unnoticed. God knows.

lol @ Dohar... didnt notice that in the first run...:)

rofl and they spelled it Dohar! Enough said.Storm in a tea cup.

No sympathy. He did the crime so must now do the time

i'm guessing he wasn't at orchard towers then.