The Guardian
6.7.16 | Sam T. Levin
Excerpts from testimonials show how former student Brock Turner’s friends and family called on Aaron Persky to minimize Turner’s sentence
The light sentencing of Brock Turner, the former Stanford student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, has sparked international outrage, in large part because of the victim’s powerful statement about rape culture and the trauma she has endured.
Fuelling the firestorm around judge Aaron Persky’s lenient sentence of six months in jail are the remarks of Turner’s father, who claimed that his son paid a “steep price” for “20 minutes of action”.
The Guardian has obtained copies of all the letters Persky received – statements that defend Turner’s actions, blame the victim for being assaulted, and decry the consequences the swimmer has faced while ignoring the suffering of the 23-year-old woman. The letters, along with Turner’s own statement, provide a window into a culture that critics say devalues victims, minimizes the seriousness of campus sexual assault, and fails to hold perpetrators accountable.
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