Because he was drunk

Stanford freshman received a symbolic punishment for rape

At a student party at Stanford University, a drunken freshman raped the girl unconscious. The jury unanimously found him guilty, but the judge appointed him only six months of prison. The judge’s decision received a large public outcry in the United States; The story of the victims of rape published several largest American media. "Medusa" says what happened in Stanford - and why a freshman was able to avoid severe punishment.

On January 17, 2015, the girl (the name is not disclosed) decided to go with her younger sister, Stanford student, to the student fraternity party in the university. On the way, she joked that all freshmen probably wear braces to correct the bite. The sister compared her to the librarian because of the modest beige cardigan; The girl agreed that she would really be for students as a “big mother”, since she is the most adult among them.

At the party, the girl herself did not notice how she drank too much alcohol. I woke up only the next day in the hospital - in the blood, with bandaged elbows, in other people's clothes. The medical staff asked to sign the documents marked “the victim of rape”.

The girl found out from the newspapers about what exactly happened during the hours between the student brotherhood party and the inspection in the hospital. She, still unconscious, was found behind a garbage container, with a lifted dress and without underwear. Then it turned out that there were two graduate students witnesses: they saw how a freshman Brock Turner “pushed” on a girl without movement. Noticing the witnesses, the young man tried to escape, but graduate students detained him and called the police.

On January 18, Turner was arrested. He was expelled from Stanford University. Terner was forbidden to appear on the territory of the campus. The scholarship issued to him as a supplier of hopes swimmer was canceled. He lost the opportunity to take the selection of athletes to participate in the Olympics.

Terner was charged with an intention to rape a person unconscious, in penetration into a person unconscious and in penetration into a person in a state of intoxication. Turner claimed that sexual contact occurred by mutual agreement; The girl insisted that she did not know the person with whom she was unconscious behind the garbage tank.

The jury unanimously found him guilty. In total, Terner threatened with three episodes up to 14 years in prison, but the judge decided that six months of imprisonment and lifelong registration in the public register of sexual criminals would be enough for a young man.

Judge Aaron Perm, who, while studying in Stanford, himself was the captain of the Lacross team, explained that he was appointing Terner only six months of prison, since the young man was still not held accountable, and also suffered enough media attention. In addition, Perme noted that “the prison would have a serious influence” on the young man - and decided that Turner was “less moral responsibility” for his actions, as he was drunk. “I think he will not be dangerous for others,” the judge concluded .

After the sentence was sentenced, statements appeared from the victim and from the father of the accused. The girl’s statement, full of naturalistic details, published the publication Buzzfeed (there it was read almost 8 million times there); CNN dedicated to this text most of the hour's news release.

In her speech, the girl spoke about the events preceding rape, and what followed him. According to her, Turner’s lawyer tried to catch her and force her to be confused in the testimony, despite the fact that "sexual violence was so obvious." The girl also told how Turner himself changed her testimony during the trial. At first he claimed that he was not going to lead the girl into his bedroom and did not know why they were at the garbage dump - then he allegedly felt bad, got up from the ground, and then graduate students "attacked him." A year later, the version changed: Turner said that at a party he and the girl kissed and danced, and then sank to the ground to have sex by mutual agreement.

“On the night after everything happened, he said that it seemed to him that I liked it, because I then rubbed his back. I rubbed my back. <...> Once again, from the news I learned that my ass and vagina were completely naked, that they grabbed my chest, that my fingers shoved my fingers with pine needles and small garbage, my bare skin and my head rubbed against the ground next to the garbage dump, while the excited freshman fucked my doused body, devoid of consciousness. But I don’t remember this, so how to prove that I did not like it, ”the girl said .

Professor of Jurisprudence in Stanford Michel Dauber, who now intends to seek judge Aaron Purski, published on her twitter the appeal of the father of the accused, Dan Turner. The man addressed him to the inspector for the affairs of persons staying on a trial period. In it, Turner's father spoke of his son’s experiences and emphasized that everything that happened was too much a fee “for actions that took 20 minutes”. “The life of Brock has changed a lot after the events of January 17 and 18 <...> now he is experiencing anxiety, fear and depression every minute. This can be seen from his face, a gait, his weakened voice and a decreased appetite, ”says Dan Turner's appeal. - I was always glad to buy him a large steak “Ribai” for frying and his favorite snacks. Previously, I had to hide my favorite sprouts and chips, because I knew that they would not lay long after Brock returned from a long swimming training. Now he barely touches food and eats only to maintain his existence. ”

The soft sentence to Terner caused a sharp rejection in the American media and society: according to the law of the state of California, less than two years in prison for crimes of this type. More than 220 thousand people signed a petition on the Change.org website with a demand to withdraw Aaron Pursky from the judge’s post for his decision. “The judge Permski does not agree that Brock Turner cannot count on condescension only because he is a white man and an athlete who gives hopes at a prestigious university. He also could not send a powerful message that sexual violence is outlawed, does not depend on the social class, race, gender and other factors, ”the statement said.