Slashdot Mirror
Computer Records Hold Key In IMF Head's Sexual Assault Case
Hugh Pickens writes "ABA Journal reports that the chief of the International Monetary Fund may claim consent as a defense to accusations that he sexually assaulted a maid at the Sofitel Hotel in New York as defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman told the judge he believed the 'forensic evidence' was 'not consistent with forcible encounter.' Police have said the maid knocked on Strauss-Kahn's door and called out, used her master keycard to open the door, and left her work cart in the doorway, a typical safety practice in hotels. According to the police account, Strauss-Kahn emerged naked, tried to attack the maid, and then shut the hotel door when she tried to escape. The NY Times explains how the key card evidence may play out: 'If the defense for Mr. Strauss-Kahn maintains that the encounter was consensual, its version will have to accommodate the unambiguous computer record of her leaving the door propped open,' the story says."
We're following this tabloid crap on Slashdot just because a door has an electronic sensor on it !? Get real, for fuck's sake.
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anyone know what lock system it is?
I only know the specifics of three electronic lock systems...
and all three that I know? only key swiping.. not closings or how long a door was open.
they can't even tell if the door was actually opened-- they can only tell that a key was used
as in, if I flash my key and the lock goes green but I don't open the door?
it records the key use but doesn't know I didn't open it.
if the master metal override key is used is also recorded (and even triggering that event in the memory)
wouldn't require the door to be opened (although it would be noticeable)
anyone know of a lock system that does all they suggest?
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
I don't think they're contradictory, you've just spotted the obvious version of the story that would "accommodate the unambiguous computer record", and make the NY Times article a load of hot air. The maid will claim he shut the door to imprison her, he will claim they shut the door after mutually agreeing to sex. So these records prove nothing, other than that the encounter most likely started with the usual practice of the maid propping the door open to valet the room.
This is about reconciling their stories. Evidence of lying is a good place to start.
First of all, does the door system really record the times of opening and closings of the door, rather than just door unlocking.
If so, then the point is not whether either side can come up with a story NOW which can explain the record. But whether the record is consistent with the initial statement they gave to the police. Maybe both are statements are consistent with the electronic record. But maybe one of them isn't. And that would be vital evidence.
I heard on the radio the other day that hotel and city surveillance cameras were going to be the key to prove his innocence or guilt since they are virtually EVERYWHERE in New York City.
The other interesting tidbit of information is that DSK said that he would be set-up in some sort of entrapment sex scandal a few weeks before he arrived in the USA.
Makes you wonder...
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
The maid will claim he shut the door to imprison her, he will claim they shut the door after mutually agreeing to sex. So these records prove nothing
Fortunately the accused in our system don't have to prove anything, just convince the jury that there's reasonable doubt. If it boils down to a he-said/she-said situation, that shouldn't be too hard. If there's further evidence of sexual entrapment, even easier.
But, no matter, he'll have been replaced at the IMF even before a pre-trial hearing, so the goal will have been met and it doesn't matter what the judicial outcome is.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
And the he ejaculated into her mouth and turned her around and bent her over because that's how justice rolls in France?
I bet a few people where listening to bugs planted in that room. too bad that kind of evidence will never become public.
Are you being dense on purpose? The maid says that she had left the door propped open and Strauss closed it later, so the electronic records for the lock should corroborate her story. If the records show instead that the door was closed immediately after her entry, her story would not match up and will be proof that she is not being truthful. Simple enough.
Guy has a history of sexual harassment/assault. Victim says she was assaulted and forensic evidence seems to support her account. There's no need to invent conspiracy theories here.
Just because a guy happens to be a "socialist" or French or anti-US doesn't make him *not* a rich, powerful douche who thinks he can do whatever he likes to whomever he likes. This guy violated another human being and deserves what he gets. I don't care who he is or what he thinks about our currency.