Aspergers and Blackmail

Yes, this is something that I wonder about too - it made me wonder about my own situation/life experiences and how I got my diagnosis and my early experiences in the gay world, easily led, open to manipulation, easily taken advantage of in my teens and getting into situations on the gay scene - of course, based on traditional Catholic values of “faith and morals” my coming out as gay was never approved of and I was constantly screamed at to “cop myself on” and that I “was not well” and had mental health issues, needed a firm hand, a good hard “clip across the ear” 

Congratulations on sneaking in a spam link to a gaming site.

Some autistic people are characterized by aggression, but this is due to sensory overload and the inability to control their condition. Only 0.2% of autistic people commit a crime with intentional infliction of evil. And, by the way, this indicator is much higher among "ordinary people", so the question is who should be more afraid of. I'm not talking about blackmail; they are incapable of such a thing. I have already asked about this at [link removed by Mod] and they explained everything to me, so I'm not afraid of autistic people anymore; it's worth being careful of healthy people, who are much more dangerous.

I'm sorry you went through this. I think it's very dependent on the person. I'd say that it is certainly possible for Autistic people to actively blackmail or to cause harm towards people around them in other ways with malicious intent, just as it's possible for non-Autistic people to do so. If the person went to prison as you say they did, then it sounds to me like a judge and jury had reason to believe that their behaviour was malicious at least to an extent, in spite of their diagnosis. 

Understandably, you might not be familiar with autism and how it can affect someone's ability to understand concepts like blackmail. In general, people with autism can understand the concept of blackmail. Still, they may not be able to process the emotional aspects of it. This can lead to them being blackmailed without realizing it or getting into situations where they are unintentionally causing emotional distress to others. A great idea is to read about [Link removed by Mod], and people with autism should be informed about such risks.

However, it is important to remember that everyone with ASD is different and that not all individuals with ASD will be susceptible to blackmail or manipulation.

'The person I met in last year does not sound like the same person almost 3 years ago when this offence took place. '

Yes, they ARE the same person and if they have done it once they may do it again.

Listen to what they are telling you.

Original Prankster said:

person with Asperger's is a person with Asperger's... what I'm saying is they are a person first and as such just as capable of anything as any person.

What  he said

Yes. 

Thank you for further clarifying this. 

The video was seemingly taken without permission, and seems to have been used to blackmail but wasnt shown to anyone. 

Are you NT with an AS Partner?

It sounds like revenge porn not rape. I dont think autism is an excuse for rape because the victim would clearly be fighting back and anyone ought to know that they are in the wrong, but some other sexual offences are not as clear cut. ASD can impair social awareness and potentially they arent aware that what they're doing is wrong until someone tells them e.g. unwanted sexual advances after misunderstanding social cues on a night out after seeing other guys do it (which is common). The threshold for sexual offences seems to have been reduced in more recent years and some of those at the bottom end of the scale will more often than not go unreported. Blackmailing revenge porn is a new offence specific to the UK but maybe not other countries, so to say that everyone with ASD ought to have known this is illegal and has consequences probably wouldnt be fair. It should be a mitigating factor, at least.

Personally i have a view that the police and prosecution often twist things to get convictions and i am aware that in America a judge told a victim of what would be considered revenge porn here, "if you dont want naked photos in all of cyber space then dont take them and send them in the first place". Although this is different to videoing someone without their knowledge or consent and posting it online or to their family members which would probably be the worst case of this crime

Sexual assault and rape are not the same thing. 

You could be done for sexual assault for wolf whistling at someone. 

While autism or Aspergers could be a mitigation to consider when sentencing it does NOT excuse rape, which is what's been described here.

Anybody unable to understand that is themselves in need of care - if necessary, in a secure unit.

ASD can certainly have an affect on someone's understanding of the law and what's right and wrong, especially with all these new snowflake lakes regarding people being offended online. Unfortunately the police, CPS and courts don't take this into consideration and see this as an easy target to get convictions of they take advantage of someones disability for a conviction rather than fixing the issue with common sense. You will find that most people in these roles are only interested in getting the convictions so they can get a promotion to pay off their mortgage

Thank you for everyone's responses, 

It has been really insightful, from an outsiders perspective having extremely limited knowledge of autism I hope I have not often anyone at all in my search for a better understanding.

I honestly believe this persons original sentence including a lengthy time on the sex offenders register (although I do disagree somewhat with this) should of without a doubt br a reasonable punishment for them to understand what they had done was wrong but also some form of help and support to help "rehabilitate" them. Despite not being handled correctly in the first place with no solictor present, no one to sit in with them and understand the process for them, and no medical assessment to check they were fit to interview just immediate questioning where they have admitted to everything without any actual thought, for them to then go to a magistrates court with no solictor with pleading guilty to everything kind of mindset, be passed onto crown court which is when I forced then to get a solicitor (unfortunately they had as much knowledge of autism as me.)

I'm also saddened to find out recently that one of the people responsible for the sentence increase meaning an immediate custodial is a parliamentary member of NAS and has completely vilified them as a monster and danger to society causing a lot of hurtful comments within our immediate community. 

It's awful to think what this person might be going through, I'm by no means suggesting what they have done should be forgotten about and that the victim will no doubt have suffered emotional distress from the "experience" for want of a better word. I just believe other and better alternatives of punishment to assist both sides should of been put forward. 

The person I met in last year does not sound like the same person almost 3 years ago when this offence took place. 

So my two pence worth...

A person with Asperger's is a person with Asperger's... what I'm saying is they are a person first and as such just as capable of anything as any person.

If it's Aspergers/high-funtioning autism then I'd say yes, they are perfectly capable of what you describe - doing anything in their power to retain the attention of the object of their obsession.

Where ASD might be relevant is in poor impulse control, not being able to see other people's point of view ("But you're obviously gay - we were intimate... I'm trying to help you realise the truth...") etc.

If the 'straight' guy is in denial about his sexuality then a common 'defence' is to re-frame a consensual act as non-consensual.

The confession sounds like a very ASD response to me - honesty is a big deal, along with justice for many people with ASD, to the point where it is more important than our own welfare...

In many cases, people with any disability/impairment/condition can be used/blackmailed due to being too open and too trusting.  As Autism/Asperger's is all on the same spectrum then everyone has different traits/behaviours and can be capable of anything that someone seen as normal can do - Malicious, Vindictive, Narcissistic, etc).

The thing is that, whenever the person is known to have a condition which is, something that affects their thought process then they should not be on a many to one situation.  IMHO there should have been doubt, if the Police could tell the person had a condition, that they were not capable at that time to be interviewed/tried alone.

My partner is undiagnosed asd I is certainly capable of blackmail of the emotional kind but only if it ties in with his rigid thought processes or something he wants. 

When he was younger he used violence to control his situation. 

For him it was learned behaviour both parents were drunks and his dad used to beat his Mum and threaten him to get what he wanted so my partner learnt that attitude it got him in alot of trouble over the years. It took along time for him to recognise his problems. Funnily enough it was when we started looking in autism he started seeing the rigid thinking and started to consider options instead of lashing out and trying to make people physically hurt when he was emotionally hurt