A RAPE victim’s mother has slammed a “dinosaur” barrister who reckons men should not be found guilty of rape if a woman only consented to sex because she was drunk.

David Osborne, 71, whose blog ‘She was gagging for it’ sparked widespread outrage, said he has had plenty of support for his comments, although he admits it is mainly from men.

In his blog, the married father-of-four, from Combe Florey, wrote: “In my book, consent is consent, blind drunk or otherwise, and regret after the event cannot make it rape.

“If the complainant (I do not refer to her as the victim) was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or both, when she was ‘raped’, this provides the accused with a complete defence.

“End of story and a victory for fairness, moderation and common sense!”

But the mother of a young woman raped when she was sober told the County Gazette: “It’s the 21st Century and people have to learn you cannot get away with taking advantage of women.

“I’m not condoning the heavy drinking and drug taking culture in this country, but what kind of a dinosaur is this lawyer if he thinks it’s alright for a man to have his way with a woman because she’s not in full control?

“This is an open invitation for any man to go on the prowl in pubs and bars looking for women who are worse for wear.”

Sarah Green, director of End Violence Against Women, said: “It is ridiculous. He is suggesting the opposite of the law.

“The justice system exists to punish and deter perpetrators.

“What a luxury to be able to make light of a very serious offence which affects 85,000 women who are raped in England and Wales every year.”

Speaking to the Gazette, Mr Osborne said: “A drunken consent is still a valid consent – it’s no good regretting what you did the next day.

“The danger about drunken consent is that there is a possibility it will be for the defendant to prove to a jury that consent was fairly given, rather than the prosecution to prove it wasn’t. That’s a dangerous road to go down and changes the standards of the burden of proof.”

Mr Osborne criticised Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders, claiming she is encouraging a conviction-led procedure rather than a prosecution-led one, “shifting the goalposts too far in favour of the complainant”.

He said: “She’s decided that anybody who makes an allegation of rape must be believed and everything possible in the trial process must be bent towards the conviction of the accused.

“She wants to make it easier to convict someone accused of rape, but it shouldn’t be for the defendant to prove the complainant gave her consent.”

Mr Osborne said more liberal attitudes to sex had led to more women accusing men of rape.

“Nowadays, casual sex is accepted – sex at the back of the community centre on disco nights is a regular event,” he added.

“It means therefore that allegations of rape are becoming a regular event, usually on the back of drink or drugs.”

*Mr Osborne said women who had responded to his blog opposed his views, while men supported him.

Here’s a sample of what some people said: Steve: “With two people who are equally drunk and foolish accountability should not rest with one alone purely on the basis of their sex.”

Ben: “It is insane to think that a man can be accused of rape simply because a drunk woman can’t remember saying yes to an equally drunken guy.”

Tanya: “Because you are so wrong on every level this is the blog that will destroy your career and you will have every passing day to think about how truly uneducated and despicable you have become.”

Miss B: “I believe that we need to be teaching young men to respect women and if a woman has had far too much to drink to think responsibly. We should be teaching young men to say no, for their own safety as you are right too many rape cases are just a woman regretting the morning after. However, do take into consideration that a lot of women are genuine victims of rape and need support and justice, not being blamed for what they wore or how much they drank.”