Do We Treat Violence Against Women Differently? The Calum Simpson Case Explained

Sometimes one case leads to a much bigger question.

That was exactly what happened while researching the murder of Calum Simpson.

At first, this seemed like a tragic criminal case. A young father in Scotland was drugged, sexually assaulted, and murdered. Two men were later convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Then we came across a comment on Facebook.

A woman wrote:

“This happens to a man and they get life in jail. This happens to a woman and they get a slap on the wrist.”

If you follow true crime, you’ve probably had a similar thought at some point.

We certainly had.

But instead of assuming we knew the answer, we decided to research it.

What we found challenged many of our own assumptions.

In This Episode We Cover

• The murder of Calum Simpson
• The investigation and convictions
• Why the case raised larger questions about gender
• Research on violence against women and violence against men
• Common myths affecting male and female victims
• What sentencing studies actually show
• Why perception and justice are not always the same thing

Listen to the Full Episode

This article only introduces the discussion.

In the podcast, we walk through the Calum Simpson case in detail, explain the research we reviewed, and unpack why our original assumptions changed as we dug deeper into the evidence.

If you’ve ever wondered whether men and women experience the justice system differently after violent crimes, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Listen to episode 1 here:

The Calum Simpson Case

Calum Simpson was just 24 years old and the father of four young children.

In November 2021, he accepted what appeared to be an ordinary invitation to spend the evening with acquaintances. Prosecutors later proved that he had been unknowingly drugged with Etizolam, sexually assaulted while unconscious, and left without medical assistance. He died from the combined effects of alcohol and the drug.

Investigators recovered crucial digital evidence that contradicted the defendants’ claims that everything had been consensual.

In 2024, both men were convicted of rape and murder.

Because Scottish law requires a mandatory life sentence for murder, each received life imprisonment, with minimum terms set by the court before parole eligibility.

The case is heartbreaking on its own.

But it also became the starting point for a much larger conversation.

Does Gender Change How Justice Works?

Our episode asks a simple question.

Do we treat violence against women differently than violence against men?

The answer turns out to be much more nuanced than either side of the debate often suggests.

Instead of relying on opinions or viral posts, we examined research on reporting, prosecution, victim credibility, and sentencing.

One of the biggest surprises came from the sentencing research.

We did not find strong evidence that offenders generally receive lighter sentences simply because the victim is female. In fact, some research pointed in the opposite direction, showing longer sentences in certain cases involving female victims. At the same time, that does not mean the justice system treats violence against women equally throughout every stage of a case.

That distinction became one of the biggest takeaways from our research.

The Bigger Story Isn’t Just About Sentencing

Sentencing is only the final step in a much longer process.

Before anyone reaches a courtroom, someone has to recognize what happened, report it, be believed, survive an investigation, and see charges filed.

Those earlier stages are where many victims encounter barriers.

Our research found that male victims often face myths surrounding masculinity, sexuality, and whether men can even be victims of sexual assault.

Female victims often encounter different stereotypes involving credibility, consent, victim blaming, and whether their reports are believed in the first place.

Those barriers look different.

But they both exist.

That realization changed how we thought about the original Facebook post.

Why This Episode Is Different

This episode isn’t trying to prove one side right.

It’s about following the evidence, even when it leads somewhere unexpected.

The Calum Simpson case became more than a true crime story.

It became the starting point for a conversation about how we define victims, how gender shapes public perception, and what the research actually says instead of what we assume it says.

Some of the answers surprised us.

Others raised even bigger questions that we’ll continue exploring in future episodes.

Tune into This Feels Criminal on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Key Takeaways

• The Calum Simpson case became the starting point for a broader discussion about gender and justice.
• Research does not support a simple conclusion that violence against women always receives lighter sentences than violence against men.
• Male and female victims face different barriers throughout the justice process.
• Sentencing is only one part of a much larger criminal justice pipeline.
• Following the evidence often leads to more nuanced answers than viral social media posts suggest.

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