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Proms conductor charged with rape of boy, 14
BBC and Edinburgh festival face dilemma over Mikhail Pletnev, bailed on rape charge in Thailand
The organisers of both the Edinburgh Festival and the BBC London Proms face a dilemma concerning the Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev, who is due to conduct the Russian National Orchestra in London and Edinburgh later this month, despite having been accused of raping a 14-year-old boy in Thailand.
According to the Sunday Times, the festival organisers and the BBC currently plan to go ahead with the concerts but are aware of the potentially negative publicity. "We're expecting it to go ahead but are keeping a watching brief," a festival spokesman told the paper, while a BBC representative said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and carefully".
Pletnev is well-connected in Russia. He befriended former president Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, and is a member of current president Dmitry Medvedev's advisory council on culture. He is also the founding conductor of the Russian National Orchestra and holds the title of 'people's artist'.
But in Thailand, where he owns two homes and a restaurant in the coastal town of Pattaya, famous for its sex tourism, he was charged early last month with rape and on Friday was granted bail pending another court hearing on August 11.
Pletnev claims the case against him is "trivial" and "a set-up".
But Sudarat Sereewat, who belongs to a campaign group fighting the child sex trade in Thailand, said: "His [the boy's] evidence is strong. There are pictures."
James Inverne, editor of Gramophone magazine told the Sunday Times: "The crime he is accused of is horrendous. I can understand why the BBC might be agonising.
"Having said that, there is a tradition in Britain of separating art from the artist. If I was in the audience for that Prom I'd concentrate on the music. After all, a man is innocent until proved guilty."
Pletnev is due to conduct the Russian National Orchestra in a programme of Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky at London's Albert Hall on August 18 and at the Edinburgh Festival on August 19. ·
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Yes-common sense and decency have gone on holiday permanently in the UK as the presumption of innocence just vanishes whenever sex is mentioned. To read posters openly opining that someone is guilty because charged is depressingly common now. The man was allowed bail in Thailand which is rare. The case cannot be strong .
While I know little of the facts of this case I do know the blackmail and false accusations are rampant in Thailand.
Surely he will not be allowed into the country unless he is cleared of all charges? Or has common sense and decency gone on holiday?
If Michale Sheldon is ever accused of rape or paedophilia, despite what I assume would be his own protestations, by his own standards of hysteria, finger pointing and the burden of guilt, it would appear the rest of us may assume he is guilty unless proven innocent. What a long way society has come since the application of feminist standards when it comes to these particular crimes.
The BBC could well be walking into a trap of their own making. They decided to pull the tv programme in respect of the Grampian paedophile victim Hollie Grieg yet advocate hosting Mikhail Pletnev. Double standards abound. There more than enough paedophiles in the UK already and I hope the authorities have the common sense to refuse entry of this suspect.