Niall Mason contract cancelled

[drfchound]

So essentially Niall Mason is saying that he is innocent yet withdrew his appeal against his dismissal. Wouldn't be surprised if his agent already has him a club lined up, hence him withdrawing his appeal. Have to say, odd that he is protesting his innocence when he pleaded guilty didn't he? I'm guessing he's doing that to not put potential employers off.

Significant loss to the team but the club has done the right thing. Stupid boy.

He always maintained that he pleaded guilty due to advice from his solicitor.
He has said that with hindsight, it was bad advice so that is why he is putting together a case for an appeal against the conviction.

[Copps is Magic]

He sounds completely daft.

[BessieBlue]

I have no experience of criminal law but civil law can be a complete ass as they say.

[RoversAlias]

All reports after the trial spoke of DNA and CCTV evidence. I expect that was a driving factor behind the advice for him to plead guilty.

[BillyStubbsTears]

That reads like a message written by a not-very-smart agent.

[RoversAlias]

It might have been put to him that if he pleads guilty in court then he'll likely avoid a custodial sentence, so that's maybe why he did? Who knows?

It might have been put to him that if he pleads guilty in court then he'll likely avoid a custodial sentence, so that's maybe why he did? Who knows?

Well I'd say that's probably exactly why he got told to plead guilty...but they'd only do that if they were quite confident he would be found guilty anyway. You have to consider the reasons for that.

[ravenrover]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

[German Rover]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

The courts looked at the evidence and decided what happened. Thats enough for me and should be for you as well.

Don't let the fact that he played for the rovers cloud your vision, hes a sex offender and we are better off without him playing in our colours.

[RoversAlias]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

[ravenrover]

Aaah everthing I've read mmmm, do you believe everything you read? That will be just a yes or no please

[ravenrover]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

The courts looked at the evidence and decided what happened. Thats enough for me and should be for you as well.

Don't let the fact that he played for the rovers cloud your vision, hes a sex offender and we are better off without him playing in our colours.

Point me in the direction of where I said anything about it being or not being enough for me and also what judgement I have made to "cloud my vision"? You have no idea what my opinion is on this matter.

[wing commander]

    I always try and keep an open mind on these things..I knew someone accused of something similar many years ago after a drunken night out around town..He was adamant that it was consensual but the next morning she went to the police claiming assault..He swore he wasn't guitly  and couldn't understand why she would accuse him of such a thing..
     He was definetley going to plead not guilty but the day before court his brief told him that if pleaded not guilty but was found guilty he would go to Prison..If he changed his plea to guilty he would likely get a non custodial sentence.And in these instances the judges were likely to believe her more than him.He was absolutely petrified and in the end he took the guilty plea..He know regrets that till this day because the barriers that's put in front of him in his life have been terrible...For the record having known him all my life I couldn't think he was capable of anything like that....But nobody knows for sure..
   It's very easy being Brave on here and say you would risk pleading not guilty but when you are sat facing prison depending on how you plead then that can make people face the reality of the situation.A brief will advise you on whats the best outcome and what he advises whether you are guilty or not...
   Now I'm not for one minute defending Mason as nobody knows for sure what happened, but I for one don't have great faith in our system and just because you plead guilty doesn't automatically mean you actually are..Pressures are sometimes brought to bare

[IDM]

And that is for Mason to fight in the courts, if he believes he really is innocent.

It may be that many others believe him, either within the club, in the fan base etc, but until any conviction is changed or sentence reduces (on appeal) the club can not override the outcome of the judicial process..

Irrespective of any personal views on Mason or the case, the club has acted correctly.

[ravenrover]

And that is for Mason to fight in the courts, if he believes he really is innocent.

It may be that many others believe him, either within the club, in the fan base etc, but until any conviction is changed or sentence reduces (on appeal) the club can not override the outcome of the judicial process..

Irrespective of any personal views on Mason or the case, the club has acted correctly.

Exactly!

[i_ateallthepies]

    I always try and keep an open mind on these things..I knew someone accused of something similar many years ago after a drunken night out around town..He was adamant that it was consensual but the next morning she went to the police claiming assault..He swore he wasn't guitly  and couldn't understand why she would accuse him of such a thing..
     He was definetley going to plead not guilty but the day before court his brief told him that if pleaded not guilty but was found guilty he would go to Prison..If he changed his plea to guilty he would likely get a non custodial sentence.And in these instances the judges were likely to believe her more than him.He was absolutely petrified and in the end he took the guilty plea..He know regrets that till this day because the barriers that's put in front of him in his life have been terrible...For the record having known him all my life I couldn't think he was capable of anything like that....But nobody knows for sure..
   It's very easy being Brave on here and say you would risk pleading not guilty but when you are sat facing prison depending on how you plead then that can make people face the reality of the situation.A brief will advise you on whats the best outcome and what he advises whether you are guilty or not...
   Now I'm not for one minute defending Mason as nobody knows for sure what happened, but I for one don't have great faith in our system and just because you plead guilty doesn't automatically mean you actually are..Pressures are sometimes brought to bare

Agree wholeheartedly with all of this.

[since-1969]

I may be wrong but I think the club may well be entitled to money if he goes elsewhere as they could claim breach of contract etc. I don't think it's as straightforward as it seems.

I doubt the legality of DRFC seeking any funds if another club chose to sign Mason could be enforced, DRFC had the legal wright to terminate his contract making him free to choose his own employment. They will have been paying his wages whilst ever he hadn’t had his contract stopped but once the decision was to remove this , the clubs obligations to him also stopped and vise versa .

[sha66y]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

Seriously?

Maybe just maybe there are two sides to this story, and when only one side can be heard, ( because the media can spin anything)
it’s inevitably going to be a miscarriage of justice...

I hope he has a fantastic career and wish him all the very best for his future...

[NickDRFC]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

Seriously?

Maybe just maybe there are two sides to this story, and when only one side can be heard, ( because the media can spin anything)
it’s inevitably going to be a miscarriage of justice...

I hope he has a fantastic career and wish him all the very best for his future...

Of course there are 2 sides to every story. On the one hand, you have someone who has pleaded guilty, been found guilty when all the evidence has been considered and has subsequently been sacked by his employers. On the other, all you have is the guilty party’s word that he has been badly advised.

You can’t be surprised that the majority of people are going to lean towards believing the former.

[sha66y]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

Seriously?

Maybe just maybe there are two sides to this story, and when only one side can be heard, ( because the media can spin anything)
it’s inevitably going to be a miscarriage of justice...

I hope he has a fantastic career and wish him all the very best for his future...

Of course there are 2 sides to every story. On the one hand, you have someone who has pleaded guilty, been found guilty when all the evidence has been considered and has subsequently been sacked by his employers. On the other, all you have is the guilty party’s word that he has been badly advised.

You can’t be surprised that the majority of people are going to lean towards believing the former.

I actually believe that if Niall sat down in front of you and told you the truth according to the facts at the time , and in the context that the incident happened, there just might be a bit more meat on the bone to think about....

we will never know if he had history with her, or even a familiarisation of sorts, we will never know what words were ever said to create this unfortunate incident, but the camera will certainly capture a moment in time that may or may not be what it seems....

Just saying.....there could be much more than just a fondle,

[drfchound]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

Seriously?

Maybe just maybe there are two sides to this story, and when only one side can be heard, ( because the media can spin anything)
it’s inevitably going to be a miscarriage of justice...

I hope he has a fantastic career and wish him all the very best for his future...

Of course there are 2 sides to every story. On the one hand, you have someone who has pleaded guilty, been found guilty when all the evidence has been considered and has subsequently been sacked by his employers. On the other, all you have is the guilty party’s word that he has been badly advised.

You can’t be surprised that the majority of people are going to lean towards believing the former.

There are plenty of cases though Nick where a person has been found to be guilty after going through a legitimate due process and has subsequently had the original verdict overturned.

[NickDRFC]

Course there have, in which case there will be more to range story than there is right now, and if that happens then I’ll change my opinion. Right now I’m just looking at the facts as they stand.

There have, of course, been many, many more cases where the original verdict still stands.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Shaggy.

I always thought a fondle required both sides to want it. If it's only one side, it's sexual assault.

[sha66y]

Shaggy.

I always thought a fondle required both sides to want it. If it's only one side, it's sexual assault.

That is not disputable, ..... however, CCTV can capture an image but miss the true context of an action...

I will always believe there is more to this than was reported....much more!

[bpoolrover]

It's his own fault and I think the club has made the right decision, and handled it all properly. I hope Mason learns from this and never acts that way again, it was awful what he did.

We will miss his footballing ability but I wouldn't have wanted to support him in a Rovers shirt again. I'm sure the club are busy scouting for a new right back already.

So with that comment "it was awful what he did" you were actually there and saw what happened?

Of course not, I believe in the legitimacy of law and due process and in this case, he is guilty and by all the accounts I've read, that has come after very solid evidence has been presented.

Seriously?

Maybe just maybe there are two sides to this story, and when only one side can be heard, ( because the media can spin anything)
it’s inevitably going to be a miscarriage of justice...

I hope he has a fantastic career and wish him all the very best for his future...

Of course there are 2 sides to every story. On the one hand, you have someone who has pleaded guilty, been found guilty when all the evidence has been considered and has subsequently been sacked by his employers. On the other, all you have is the guilty party’s word that he has been badly advised.

You can’t be surprised that the majority of people are going to lean towards believing the former.

There are plenty of cases though Nick where a person has been found to be guilty after going through a legitimate due process and has subsequently had the original verdict overturned.

that normally happens if they had pleaded not guilty and been found guilty then new evidence provided thou

[ChrisBx]

Shaggy.

I always thought a fondle required both sides to want it. If it's only one side, it's sexual assault.

That is not disputable, ..... however, CCTV can capture an image but miss the true context of an action...

I will always believe there is more to this than was reported....much more!

Why would the victim and witness lie?

[drfchound]

Shaggy.

I always thought a fondle required both sides to want it. If it's only one side, it's sexual assault.

That is not disputable, ..... however, CCTV can capture an image but miss the true context of an action...

I will always believe there is more to this than was reported....much more!

Why would the victim and witness lie?

That is very naive cbx, to think that it never happens.

[ChrisBx]

Shaggy.

I always thought a fondle required both sides to want it. If it's only one side, it's sexual assault.

That is not disputable, ..... however, CCTV can capture an image but miss the true context of an action...

I will always believe there is more to this than was reported....much more!

Why would the victim and witness lie?

That is very naive cbx, to think that it never happens.

I'm not saying it never happens. I'm saying that there's absolutely nothing that suggests it has happened in this case.

[tommy toes]

When I was a boy about 50 years ago the lad next door to me was accused of rape. He was about 19 at the time.
Nobody believed it, he was such a nice kid and popular with the local girls.
He pleaded and pleaded his innocence up to and including the trial. Said it was consensual.
I remember everyone believing him locally including my parents.
He was found guilty and did about 7 years in prison.
He continued to plead his innocence and was welcomed back home and visited our house regularly on release.

A few years later he attacked and raped another girl. Another long sentence and recently he was imprisoned again as a 70 year old for paedophile offences.


So what if Mason is a sexual predator?

Let's be clear, I'm not in any way shape or form saying he is by the way, and it looks to me like it was drunken lust that got out of hand; plus, his alleged offence is far less serious than my neighbours.

But what if I'm wrong and Rovers gave him another chance and he reoffended then how bad would they look then.

The club have had to react as they did. It's a terrible  blow as he was my favourite player and had a great career in front of him (might still have) but they had no choice.

[Avsuptem]

When I was a boy about 50 years ago the lad next door to me was accused of rape. He was about 19 at the time.
Nobody believed it, he was such a nice kid and popular with the local girls.
He pleaded and pleaded his innocence up to and including the trial. Said it was consensual.
I remember everyone believing him locally including my parents.
He was found guilty and did about 7 years in prison.
He continued to plead his innocence and was welcomed back home and visited our house regularly on release.

A few years later he attacked and raped another girl. Another long sentence and recently he was imprisoned again as a 70 year old for paedophile offences.


So what if Mason is a sexual predator?

Let's be clear, I'm not in any way shape or form saying he is by the way, and it looks to me like it was drunken lust that got out of hand; plus, his alleged offence is far less serious than my neighbours.

But what if I'm wrong and Rovers gave him another chance and he re offended then how bad would they look then.

The club have had to react as they did. It's a terrible  blow as he was my favourite player and had a great career in front of him (might still have) but they had no choice.

This is a good point well made. I would add that in PC Britain of the new millennium a trial of highly paid young footballer answering a case brought by a sweet young girl is not a level playing field. My reading of what happened is that it was nothing more than something that happens regularly in night clubs throughout the country and would not be raised as an issue in most cases. This is not condoning it but merely putting in context. I think Nial Mason, the fans, the club are all victims - as well as the sweet young girl.

[Lifelong supporter]

Avsuptem's is possibly the worst post on this well-exhausted subject that I've read.
And that's saying something!