The father of a former Stanford University athlete convicted on multiple charges of sexual assault has said his son should not have to go to prison for "20 minutes of action". Brock Turner, a former swimmer at Stanford University was on Thursday, June 2 sentenced to six monthsβ imprisonment and probation for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.
The 20 year old from Dayton, Ohio(pictured above) who was convicted of three felonies, including assault with intent to rape β faced a maximum of 14 years in prison. But Turner was expected to spend only three months of a six-month sentence in county jail after the judge, Aaron Persky, said positive character references and lack of a criminal record had persuaded him to be more lenient. Prison would have a βsevere impact on himβ, the judge said. A decision that sparked anger on social media.
The 23-year-old victim gave an emotional speech at the hearing, an abbreviated version of a 12-page impact statement submitted to Judge Persky before the sentencing hearing.
She recounted going to a party on the evening of 17 January 2015 and waking up the next morning in hospital with no memory of the night before. She also told of the invasive exam she underwent to collect evidence and the βexcruciatingβ interrogation of the court trial.
Turnerβs father had called on the judge to grant his son probation, saying that he had already paid βa steep price ... for 20 minutes of actionβ.
Michele Dauber, a professor of law at Stanford University,tweeted an excerpt from the probation pre-sentencing report (pictured) in which Dan Turner said his sonβs life had βbeen deeply altered foreverβ.
Responding to questions over the statementβs validity, Dauber said it was βall too realβ and that Dan Turner had read it aloud in open court at sentencing. She has been contacted for comment.
Dan Turner said imprisonment was not the "appropriate punishment" for his son, who was βtotally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuityβ.
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The victim was scathing on this point in her address at Thursdayβs hearing, noting that Turner had said he wanted to βshow people that one night of drinking can ruin a life".
In justifying the six-month sentence, Judge Persky said positive character references written on Turnerβs behalf, such as that given by his father, had factored into his decision. His age, his lack of a criminal history, and the role that alcohol played in the assault were also mitigating factors.
Palo Alto Online reported that Turner plans to appeal his conviction and will be represented by Dennis Riordan, a well-known San Francisco appellate attorney.
Source: Dan Turner/the guardian Palo Alto Online
The 20 year old from Dayton, Ohio(pictured above) who was convicted of three felonies, including assault with intent to rape β faced a maximum of 14 years in prison. But Turner was expected to spend only three months of a six-month sentence in county jail after the judge, Aaron Persky, said positive character references and lack of a criminal record had persuaded him to be more lenient. Prison would have a βsevere impact on himβ, the judge said. A decision that sparked anger on social media.
The 23-year-old victim gave an emotional speech at the hearing, an abbreviated version of a 12-page impact statement submitted to Judge Persky before the sentencing hearing.
She recounted going to a party on the evening of 17 January 2015 and waking up the next morning in hospital with no memory of the night before. She also told of the invasive exam she underwent to collect evidence and the βexcruciatingβ interrogation of the court trial.
"I thought thereβs no way this is going to trialΝΎ there were witnesses, there was dirt in my body, he ran but was caught ... Instead, I was told he hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses, private investigators ... That he was going to go to any length to convince the world he had simply been confused. I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life, inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even bothering to ask for my name."Her victim impact statement β released by the district attorneyβs office and published in full by Palo Alto Online, among others β has received global attention for shedding light on what advocates say is an epidemic of violence on college campuses. On BuzzFeed, it has been viewed more than 4m times since being published on Saturday.
Turnerβs father had called on the judge to grant his son probation, saying that he had already paid βa steep price ... for 20 minutes of actionβ.
Michele Dauber, a professor of law at Stanford University,tweeted an excerpt from the probation pre-sentencing report (pictured) in which Dan Turner said his sonβs life had βbeen deeply altered foreverβ.
"He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile. His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite."His statement was met with fury on social media, with many condemning its tone.
Responding to questions over the statementβs validity, Dauber said it was βall too realβ and that Dan Turner had read it aloud in open court at sentencing. She has been contacted for comment.
Dan Turner said imprisonment was not the "appropriate punishment" for his son, who was βtotally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuityβ.
"By having people like Brock educate others on college campuses is how society can begin to break the cycle of binge drinking and its unfortunate results."This echoed Turnerβs own statement, in which he said he was in the process of establishing a program for high school and college students so that he could "speak out against the college campus drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that"
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The victim was scathing on this point in her address at Thursdayβs hearing, noting that Turner had said he wanted to βshow people that one night of drinking can ruin a life".
"Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrolment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.Prosecutors had asked for Judge Persky, a Stanford alumni, to sentence Turner to six years in a state prison. The maximum for the three felony charges β assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object β was 14 years.
In justifying the six-month sentence, Judge Persky said positive character references written on Turnerβs behalf, such as that given by his father, had factored into his decision. His age, his lack of a criminal history, and the role that alcohol played in the assault were also mitigating factors.
"A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him,β said the judge. βI think he will not be a danger to others."
Palo Alto Online reported that Turner plans to appeal his conviction and will be represented by Dennis Riordan, a well-known San Francisco appellate attorney.
Source: Dan Turner/the guardian Palo Alto Online
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