A barrister who sparked controversy when he reportedly suggested it wasn't rape if the woman was drunk has said he only has a "limited amount of sympathy" for alleged victims.
David Osborne, who has since withdrawn his original comments, today told London Live women may consent to sex when drunk but later change their minds after they've sobered up.
He said: "I accept that it can be very traumatic for the girl, whatever is the truth of the matter, and as it's usually one person's word against another, or the other, the girl may have trouble putting her point across.
"But I only have a limited amount of sympathy for that because as the law stands at the moment if you're convicted of rape, even a first time offender is looking at four to five years and that's a long time to take out of a young life."
He said in true cases of rape the person responsible should rightly be punished, but added: "But if the girl shes yeah why not, even though she may in the cold light of day say I wouldn't have consented, I'm afraid that isn't rape."
The 71-year-old father-of-four was discussing the issue on London Live's Headline London show with journalist Abi Wilkinson.
She said: "The idea that reporting rape and you know taking it all the way is just something people casually do is an invented problem."
Mr Osborne has been in the news since he posted a blog entitled "She Was Gagging for It", which prompted an angry backlash from campaigners.
