Disgraced Stanford swimmer Brock Turner sits behind bars for the next six months in protective custody, after which the system will spit him back into society. Barring unforeseen circumstances, his sentence will actually be shorter. Turner was preemptively credited with a few months of good behavior, which is a truly bizarre outcome after he raped an unconscious woman behind a dumpster and possibly took photos for his friends. And of course, all of the facts and the scorching letters haven’t done much to deter the reported defense fund for a rapist who sees himself as a victim of “party culture” and alcohol.
Another man is under fire in this case, for Judge Aaron Persky may wish he never set foot in the courtroom to deliver the ultra-lenient rape sentence. Persky is a Stanford alumnus who ignored the flat-out disturbing description of “20 minutes of action,” which is how Turner’s father described the act of rape. So, folks weren’t happy and called for Persky’s removal from the bench. Unfortunately, he just scored a six-year term because he ran unopposed. That seems like an odd reward for a man who made a questionable judgment in another rape case, which involved Persky’s approval of scantily clad plaintiff photos to prove a victim didn’t have PTSD after a gang rape. That’s two strikes on well-known sexual assault cases. And NBC News reports that Perskey was just removed from his newest rape case:
Persky was removed from the new sex assault case after on Monday he dismissed a misdemeanor stolen mail case mid-trial, prosecutors said. “We are disappointed and puzzled at Judge Persky’s unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
“After this and the recent turn of events, we lack confidence that Judge Persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient,” Rosen said.
Yeah, this is not the type of case that Persky can be counted on to rule with an impartial gavel. This removal will follow the judge’s rep for quite some time. He may even pay for his decision longer than his most famous defendant will spend in jail for rape. Indeed, Persky’s life has grown all too complicated. Not only has he received rumored death threats, but folks want him off the bench completely. As an added detail, one “appalled” juror in the Turner case finally spoke his mind about the court conclusion: “This punishment does not fit the crime.” He’s not alone in his opinion.
(Via NBC News and Palo Alto Online)