Judge Who Gave Stanford Rapist Six-Month Sentence Facing Recall Campaign; Petition Reaches 150,000 Signatures

Trigger warning: this article discusses rape and sexual assault.

A petition to recall the judge who sentenced Stanford University rapist Brock Allen Turner to just six months has already gathered more than 150,000 signatures.

The case drew widespread attention over the weekend when Turner’s victim shared a statement she read in court on Thursday with Buzzfeed.

In the lengthy, powerful statement – which carries an additional trigger warning for the graphic nature of its content – the woman, now 23, detailed the horrific circumstances of the evening in January 2015 during which she was raped by Turner behind a dumpster on Stanford University’s campus. (She was spotted by two students who interrupted Turner and tackled him when he tried to escape.)

Though Turner was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by a jury, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to six months in county jail and three years of probation, noting that a longer sentence would have a “severe impact” on his life.

The leniency was not welcomed by the woman, who said near the end of her statement, “someone who cannot take full accountability for his actions does not deserve a mitigating sentence.”

Michele Landis Dauber, a Stanford law professor and family friend of the 23-year-old woman told the Guardian that Persky “has made women at Stanford and across California less safe.”

“The judge bent over backwards in order to make an exception … and the message to women and students is ‘you’re on your own,’ and the message to potential perpetrators is, ‘I’ve got your back,’” she said.

Dauber initiated the recall campaign in the wake of Turner's sentencing.

It has since been revealed that Brock Allen Turner’s father had asked for probation, suggesting prison would be a “steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action”. His statement, disturbingly, pays no mention to Turner's victim. It does, however, mention that Brock no longer enjoys cooking.

#brockturner father: son not "violent" only got "20 mins of action" shouldn't have to go to prison. @thehuntinground pic.twitter.com/IFECJs687b

— Michele Dauber (@mldauber) June 5, 2016

The internet reacted to the seeming disregard for the victim, in place of the court’s extreme mercy towards the rapist, with several change.org petitions seeking to have Judge Persky removed from his position.

One of the petitions (with a not-insignificant 36,000 signatures) notes Judge Persky previously ruled over a case in which a jury found a group of college baseball players not guilty of gang-rape.

It was also found that Persky was a Stanford graduate and former captain of the college lacrosse team.

As an appeal to the case is pending, the judge cannot comment on the matter.

Stanford University has offered the following comment:

“Stanford University did everything within its power to assure that justice was served in this case, including an immediate police investigation and referral to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for a successful prosecution," it begins.

“Stanford urges its students to do the right thing and intervene and we are proud of our students for stopping this incident. Many other student witnesses cooperated in the investigation. Once Stanford learned the identity of the young woman involved, the university reached out confidentially to offer her support and to tell her the steps we were taking. In less than two weeks after the incident, Stanford had conducted an investigation and banned Turner from setting foot on campus – as a student or otherwise. This is the harshest sanction that a university can impose on a student.

“There has been a significant amount of misinformation circulating about Stanford’s role. In this case, Stanford University, its students, its police and its staff members did everything they could. Stanford University takes the issue of sexual assault extremely seriously and has been a national leader in taking concrete steps to implement prevention programs, to train students on the importance of bystander intervention, to provide support to students who may experience sexual assault and to assure that cases are handled fairly and justly.

“This was a horrible incident, and we understand the anger and deep emotion it has generated. There is still much work to be done, not just here, but everywhere, to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault cases.”

More news as it develops.

Are you experiencing sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Photo: Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office / iStock.