Summary: Following the trend of sexual assault on college campuses getting light punishment a former Stanford student was sentenced to six months for the rape of a fellow student.
The prominence of sexual assault on university campuses can be seen in yet another example of a student-athlete being convicted of the crime. Former Stanford University student-athlete Brock Allen Turner, 20, was sentenced to six months in county jail and probation. Turner was a member of the swim team at Stanford before he dropped out last year.
Two months ago, Turner was convicted of multiple felonies by a jury, including assault with intent to rape an intoxicated woman. Two graduate students at Stanford saw Turner laying on top of a woman behind the dumpster outside a Kappa Alpha party. They claim Turner was “thrusting” on top of the motionless woman so they intervened, holding him until police showed up. The 23-year-old victim was unresponsive and partially clothed with a blood-alcohol level three times the limit.
Read USC Involved in Failure to Prosecute Rape Case.
Turner testified that despite his blood-alcohol limit being two times the legal limit, he could walk and talk and understood that the victim was drunk as well. He claimed the sex was consensual and would not intend to rape her. In her emotional testimony, the victim said she had no memory of the assault and regained consciousness over three hours after it happened when she was at the hospital.
Her speech during the sentencing hearing spoke out against the culture of rape saying, “We cannot forgive everyone’s first sexual assault…The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly. We should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error.”
See University of Virginia in Uproar in Response to Rolling Stone Rape Article.
Prosecutors asked for a six-year sentence in a California prison whereas probation officials suggested a lighter sentence of six months in county jail was sufficient based on his lack of criminal history and age. Judge Aaron Perksy agreed stating, “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him…I think he will not be a danger to others.”
The culture of athletes being protected from punishment of sexual assaults is just now coming under examination.
Do you think the punishment fits the crime? Tell us what sentence you think Turner should have received.
To learn more about sexual assault on college campuses, read University of Tennessee Sued by Alleged Rape Victims.
Photo: ussportscamps.com