<"with a lot of the feminist musings about the abusive predator male and the innocent virginal female">

I've never seen any "feminist musings" of that type. If you can come up with any examples please share them. In fact, feminism in general is very opposed to stereotypes of that sort.

Anyway here's an assortment of links showing that sex doesn't seem to have much to do with offenders getting off lightly - maybe about time some updated research was conducted on the issue. Anyway:

What about this demented Judge and co. who said this case wasn't to be referred to as rape and that it shouldn't be assumed the boy didn't consent:

<"In the committal hearing earlier this year, Darwin Magistrates Court heard that the boy had been bound with shoelaces and drugged before being repeatedly sexually assaulted"> [ about 5 male offenders all substantially older than the 11 yr old.].

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/sex-abuse-of-boy-not-rape-judge/story-e6frg6po-1111115148535

http://abc.gov.au/news/stories/2006/10/10/1760120.htm

http://news.theage.com.au/national/paedophile-avoids-jail-over-child-porn-20080115-1m3x.html

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/sunrise/124/tegan-wagnerstory-of-a-rape-victim/

http://blogs.brisbanetimes.com.au/eyeq/archives/2007/08/sex_assault_sen.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/17/2306998.htm

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22899771-3102,00.html

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/doctor-convicted-of-rape-set-to-practise-20090521-bgdy.html

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s10729.htm

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2007/10/16/beach-groper-given-suspended-sentence/

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/little-girl-faces-sixth-trial/story-e6freuzi-1111112507288 - don't know if the last trial went ahead or any conclusion was reached - but the system certainly did all that it could to discourage and intimidate the little victim.

http://www.mako.org.au/makomedia17.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/12/2418016.htm

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/gang-rape-judge-in-new-child-sex-furore/story-e6frg6oo-1111115556917

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/sex-abuse-of-boy-not-rape-judge/story-e6frg6po-1111115148535

"They can prove the victim was a child, that the offender was an adult and that there was penetration," Mr Johnson said.

"But they might not be able to prove consent or the absence of consent."

I thought no child could 'consent' to an adult? It seems aboriginals cant be charged with rape, I remember another story like this with a young girl.

http://news.theage.com.au/national/paedophile-avoids-jail-over-child-porn-20080115-1m3x.html

'if he had been sentenced last year he would have been out of jail a month ago'

ie, he has already been in gaol for 12 months, and it's for porn not rape.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2007/10/16/beach-groper-given-suspended-sentence/

I note that you still confuse rape with groping. All nicely under the banner of 'sexual assault' to inflate those 'rape' figures huh. And no I'm not saying I condone groping. Although I was groped earlier this year by a woman at the pub, so I guess I have been 'sexually assaulted' (ie raped, as they're used interchangeably) too.

Anyway that's enough reading for today Miss Pynchme. I have no desire to play google tennis. Anyway there is much more male rape cases than women, so if you really love googling so much find me the women who have done lots of time for their rapes. Your links, while interesting, do nothing to disprove my point.

Houellebecq: You're the one making the (another) unsupportable assertion that men get punished more harshly for sex crimes. I provided links to a range of sex crimes where sentences were of questionable harshness. I also said that it's an area that may be worthy of updated research because it's not clear to me whether there is a sexual bias in sentencing or not.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/12/15/teachers-s-xual-relationship-treated-like-murder/

I have explained before that categories for sex offences vary from one jurisdiction to another. I don't know how the term sexual assault came about (do you?) but I believe that it's legal utility is supposed to be that seriousness of the assault can be graded.
However, it seems to me that penetrative sexual assault still = rape.

I recall a time when rape referred only to penis in vagina and under such law, anal penetration of men, women or children and acts using any object ( sticks or bottles etc) or any other body part were not called rape. Under that limited definition of rape, men could not (in law) be raped; no man, woman or child could be raped (in law) by a woman. The broadended definition at least recognizes that women can also be perpetrators and they can be held accountable under law. Btw I believe that rape laws in Scotland are still fairly cro-magnon but may be under review.

There are other labels for a random squeeze of someone else's bits, like indecent assault perhaps. In the workplace maybe a claim of sexual harrassment will apply.

http://www.yarrowplace.sa.gov.au/booklet_law.html#2

I also understood that no child could give consent; I have no idea who the dopey spokesperson in that article was but obviously I disagree with what he's quoted as saying.