Ex-Stanford athlete's 6-month sentence for sexual assault sparks outrage
A former Stanford athlete's light sentencing Thursday following his conviction for sexually assaulting a woman as she lay unconscious behind a dumpster has set the internet alight with fury.
The judge justified the ruling by saying, "a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him."
Judge Aaron Pesky cited Brock Allen Turner's age -- 20 -- and lack of criminal record when handing down the sentence. Turner was convicted of three counts of sexual assault in March, after he was discovered "thrusting" on top of an unconscious woman outside of a frat party in January 2015. Turner and the woman were discovered by two passing cyclists, who held him until the police arrived.
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Turner's victim, now 23, spoke to the court -- and her attacker -- in a long, passionate plea for sentencing that would set an example on how sexual assaults on U.S. campuses are handled.
"He has done irreversible damage to me and my family during the trial and we have sat silently, listening to him shape the evening. But in the end, his unsupported statements and his attorney’s twisted logic fooled no one. The truth won, the truth spoke for itself," she read (see her full statement, provided by the Palo Alto District Attorney).
"This is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. Assault is not an accident."
Turner's maximum sentence was 14 years, according to The Guardian. He will serve six months in county jail, followed by probation.
Turner's victim's letter to the court was shared widely on social media Friday evening and into the weekend, with many furious at the sentencing handed down by Judge Pesky.
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Chelsea Stark was the Games Editor for Mashable, where she covered everything from AAA titles, mainstream consoles, indie gems, mobile games and gaming culture. She handled news, feature stories and reviews. Before that, Chelsea was Mashable's Multimedia Producer, where she helped develop visual storytelling aids, whether they were photos of video. She came to New York in 2010 to pursue her master's degree in journalism at NYU's Studio 20 program, which focused on innovation as journalism is changed by new technology. Before coming to New York, Chelsea lived in Austin, where she did online journalism and social media for the local CBS affiliate. She loves good beer, classic Nintendo games, and all things geeky, and spends her time attempting to find anything close to good Tex-Mex in Brooklyn.
