An Tory council member has apologized after suggesting that women should bear the responsibility for protecting themselves from aggressive behavior.
Nick Kelly was the first to speak out after Bobbi Anne McLeod disappeared at a bus stop and was later murdered.
Kelly, the Conservative leader of Plymouth City Council, said to ITV, “Everybody has to take responsibility for not trying to compromise themselves.”
The comment by the councillor caused an immediate uproar among the political and social media opposition. He refused at first to apologize, but he later said sorry.
But his apology has still not been accepted by Labour party councillors, who have demanded a ‘full and proper apology’, accusing him of using ‘victim-blaming rhetoric.’
Cllr Tudor Evans from Labour Party was the leader of opposition at Plymouth City Council. He wrote: “It’s hard to imagine a more insensitive or arrogant thing saying at this moment, or in fact at any other time.”
Cody Ackland (24) has been charged with Bobbi’s Murder.
Following the 18-year-old disappearance of Bobbi Anne McLeod’s bus, Nick Kelly addressed the crowd.
On Tuesday, Bobbi Anne’s body was found close to the Plymouth shore.
Initial apology by Nick Kelley, Councillor Nick Kelley refused. He stated that “In no way was this possible.” [he]This does not imply that Bobbi Anne was in any wrong way.
In an open letter, he apologized for the incident and posted a note on Plymouth City Council’s website.
It said: “I wanted to stress that in no manner shape or form was it ever suggested that Bobbi Anne McLeod had done anything wrong. She didn’t.
“I know that an excerpt from one interview, which was about general safety concerns in the city, as well as comments in informal conversations, were used to suggest the contrary. You could not have been more wrong.
The streets of Plymouth have to become safer. The safety of the streets is essential. Unfortunately, for many young women and girls this feeling is all too familiar.
He stated that “Making Plymouth safer for everybody is a top priority for me and the Plymouth City Council.”
“I stand with women to declare that violence against girls and women is unacceptable.
A member of the public leaves flowers near the bus stop where Bobbi-Anne was last seen alive
Cody James Ackland (24), who lives in central Plymouth and is a member of the popular local band Rakuda with his mother, was accused of kidnapping the 18-year old as she waited for a bus.
“I apologize again for taking away the focus of my words at a time we should all have been working together to mourn Bobbi Anne.
An open letter was sent to him by 16 Labour Party women councillors, and candidate for Plymouth office.
They say that his comments caused “real distress” and that he should ‘fully withdraw his statements from ITV, which they feel he has not done.
This is the letter that reads “You can have no doubt these words caused a lot of anger, hurt, and upset here in Plymouth.”
Your victim-blaming rhetoric was used in the context of an appalling young woman waiting at her local bus stop for tea.
“Doesn’t this show that your refusal to remove those words undermines all attempts to claim you care about understanding and dealing with the problem of violence against girls and women?
As the city leader, it is your responsibility to be clear about victim-blaming as well as cognizant of its power.
“We’re asking you again to think about what you’ve said and how it’s causing you distress.”