WARNING - contains reference to sexual assault and domestic abuse.
I’ve chosen not to include images of the subjects of this post as I don’t feel it’s appropriate.
I’m angry. Really, really angry.
You’ve probably heard the name Mason Greenwood, but if you haven’t, then here’s a quick overview:
Mason Greenwood is a 21 year old footballer who plays for Manchester United. In January 2022, social media was flooded with disturbing images of his partner, Harriet Robson, covered in blood and bruises which she said he’d caused. There was also audio that she’d recorded of Mason appearing to force her into having sex with him, shouting "Move your f*cking legs up you tw*t. Push me one more time and see what happens to you." She is heard telling him she doesn’t want to have sex, to which he replies “I don’t care.” If you haven’t heard the audio, I suggest you keep it that way, as it’s really difficult to listen to.
He was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and threats to kill. Subsequently, Manchester United investigated and suspended him (although he continued to receive his £75,000 a week pay check) and he was also dropped by his sponsors, Nike.
But despite being charged with a list of offences, including attempted rape, coercive control and actual bodily harm, the CPS dropped the case against him because the key witness - Harriet - had withdrawn from proceedings. He’s been pictured recently training back at Manchester United and there are rumours that he and Harriet are expecting a baby in the next few months.
Right.
Where to even begin with this.
First of all, I’m angry that any man feels it’s ok to force himself onto a woman, whether she’s his girlfriend or not. Being in a relationship with someone doesn’t automatically give you rights to their body whenever you want it and everyone has the right to say NO at any time. Between 2021 and 2022, 1.1 million adults aged 16+ experienced sexual assault in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics. The scary thing here is that these are assaults that were reported - god knows how many more there were - and the figures don’t include assault or abuse of under 16’s. Even more shocking is that the CPS reported that in the same year, there were only 2573 prosecutions for rape. It’s no wonder that victims are afraid to come forward.
Secondly, I’m sick of hearing people saying Greenwood has been found “not guilty” and is “innocent.” No no no no. The charges being dropped does NOT make him innocent. The images and recordings speak for themselves and how anyone who’s seen and heard them can say that he’s not guilty is beyond me. I’ve even had to explain this to my 13 year old son, who thinks that I’m being “unfair” to the footballer because he did "nothing wrong."
No, son, he did something very, very wrong, and I’ll keep telling you that until you understand. People have even used the Amber Heard and Jonny Depp case to defend Greenwood, saying that Harriet must’ve faked the images and audio like Amber did. Look. What Amber Heard was attempting to do to Jonny Depp during that whole fiasco was very different from this situation. Everyone knows my standing on domestic violence, and that I’ll champion women all the way, but in my opinion, Jonny Depp was clearly the victim of a narcissist who tried to manipulate the world into believing her twisted version of reality for her own agenda. That isn’t what was happening with Harriet.
I’m angry with Manchester United for allowing Greenwood back into the club. What message are they sending to young people? That if you’re rich and famous, you can pretty much do whatever you want and there won’t be any consequences. That doesn’t sit right with me at all. There was a footballer last year who was filmed kicking his cat across the kitchen floor. I’m not saying the two incidents are similar (both are disgustingly wrong for different reasons) but his punishment seemed a lot worse compared to Greenwood’s. In fact, Greenwood doesn’t seem to have suffered any punishment at all for what he did. Which leads me onto the next reason I’m angry.
For whatever reason, Harriet decided not to proceed with the prosecution. Why? I don’t know if we will ever know what led her to make that decision, but again, it sends out a very toxic message. She’s an influencer and many young women look up to her; when she told the world what she had been going through, she validated every other girl who was suffering too, empowering them and giving them strength and courage to speak out. I kind of feel like she had a responsibility to make sure that her abuser was properly dealt with, not just for her own sake but for those girls who look up to her. Her decision almost reinforces that idea that if he’s rich and famous, young and talented, he can do what he wants. I feel so angry for victims of SA who might decide not to speak out or let their abuse continue because of what they’ve seen Harriet do.
And finally - they’re having a baby together? Babies are a blessing, yes, but is it really a healthy decision to bring a child into such a toxic environment? Imagine when that child grows up and finds out about this whole situation - it’ll be devastating. I wonder if Child Protection will be keeping their eye on the couple and the baby when it arrives?
It scares me to think that this probably isn’t last we’ll hear about Harriet and Mason. I understand coercive control, I really do, and I hope she’s ok, I just worry that she’s given up the opportunity to escape an unhealthy relationship with a man who now knows he can do what he wants. Maybe he’s a changed man? I don’t know, but I really doubt it.
If you need support or advice, please visit:
Women’s Aid https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
Victim Support https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/
Respect https://mensadviceline.org.uk/
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