And have you told ‘Anon’ this?
Good luck in advance – you will need it.
You are right in that everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence before any (potential) trial. But people like to discuss things and I hardly think that a court in Australia is going to be influenced by what is said here and on other ‘critical’ sites. However important we like to think we are, we are but a drop in the ocean of chit chat that is the Interweb. I can’t see that anything said here is going to have any effect – one way or another.
And let's not forget that it was free discussion that lead to the discovery of the evidence and corroboration by other witnesses in the first place. Only the cult would want people not to discuss the (alleged
) crimes by it’s members.
There was a huge amount of talk about Rex Fowler but this didn’t have any influence or threaten to derail the trial, did it?
As for libel suits, why would the cult sue? Have they been accused? As for Eastgate, I don’t think that even she is that stupid. Anyone remotely connected with Scientology has no credibility with the general public – which is what any jury would be made up of. Can you imagine the awkward questions she would be asked under oath? Imagine the dirty washing that would be displayed for the whole world to see and be recorded for posterity. They might threaten and bluster, but they can’t afford to go to court.
But having said that, it is always sensible to be careful what you say about actual people. Expressing an opinion is one thing, but if you make accusations of a criminal nature, you had better be prepared to back it up with facts. This goes for any situation, not just here on ESMB or WWP or wherever.
Some people and organization (not just the cult) are extremely vindictive and will do almost anything to silence critics. Be sure of what you say.
Axiom142