UPDATE: The woman who started the petition for Evans to be stopped from returning to professional football has given this statement: 'We need to take a stand and make it clear to Sheffield United that it sends a terrible message to put Ched Evans on to the pitch in front of young men who need a clear message of what rape is and what the consequences will be. Please take a moment to send a message to Sheffield United local sponsors J Holland Sales and DB Logistics. Sheffield United cannot ignore their sponsors.'
In the same week that a Change.org petition seemingly knocked Dapper Laughs out of television (his programme, Dapper Laughs: On The Pull will not get a second series), one Change.org petition has seemingly failed. And that’s the one to ensure that Ched Evans, a convicted rapist, does not return to play for Sheffield United.
Almost 160,000 people have signed the online petition calling for Evans to not return to football, arguing that not only will he be returning to a job where he gets cheered on and congratulated on a daily basis and paid a ridiculous amount of money, but he remains unapologetic. As far as the case goes, three judges at the Court of Appeal refused to overturn the conviction in 2012, but the Criminal Cases Review Commission has made his case a priority.
Evans, has served two-and-a-half-year sentence for the rape of a 19-year-old girl in a hotel room in Rhyl in 2011. But he claims that, although he says that he should have never ‘cheated on my girlfriend,’ the rape was: ‘consensual in nature and not rape.'
Evans’ website, which details the reasons why his family and friends believe he is innocent (one being that the girl was too drunk to remember that she had consented to sex!) is being investigated for including CCTV footage of the victim that allegedly identifies her. As the girl’s dad put it: ‘Evans needs to apologise to my daughter rather than his girlfriend. He's shown no remorse and every time he makes some fresh appeal or comment, he draws attention to my daughter and risks her being identified.’
READ MORE: Four Things Ched Evans Could Have Done Other Than Release This Terrible Video Statement
As for Evans, he’s set to return to training this week, with the BBC reporting: ‘He will train with the club for the first time since his release later this week, a move that will be seen by many as the first step towards a possible return. It is also understood the club contacted the football authorities to notify them that they wanted the player to train with them.’
Jean Hatchet, the activist who started the petition to stop Evans’ return to football, with all its riches and adulation and tacit implication that it’s ok to continue to insist you didn't rape a woman even when the courts say, um, yes, you raped her, previously told The Debrief: ‘Evans has not served his time. He's served half of it. Yes he should be rehabilitated. For that rehabilitation to be effective there should be an acknowledgement of his wrongdoing.’
You might also be interested in:
Why I Stopped Dapper Laughs From Playing At My Student Union
Dapper Laughs' TV Show Won't Be Renewed After Furore Over His 'Rape Jokes'
Ched Evans Rape Case To Be Reviewed As He Maintains His Innocence
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.