Powerful letter from a rape survivor to her attacker

Agreed, Felas. His lack of remorse is astounding. Given that this is the USA, how does pleading guilty affect any possible sentence? In some cases in the UK I think it can help reduce the sentence, given that you are not putting the victim on the stand and forcing them to relive their ordeal. I don't know how or if that applies in America.

grim in this case he was unanimously found guilty by the jury so I think the adversarial system worked ok. The issue is with the complete fuckwit of a judge who thinks 6 months is an acceptable sentence for this crime. In the UK the sentencing could (and I hope would) be appealed for being too lenient. I'm not sure of the situation in the states.
It's a total travesty of justice that he got 6 months sentence out of a possible 14 years, when he has shown no remorse whatsoever and in fact insists that it was drunken promiscuity.

His father's response told me everything about why this young man feels he did nothing wrong. He has evidently been brought up to regard women as objects to use and abuse as he sees fit. If they are drunk then they are fair game it seems.

"Twenty minutes of action"...he actually wrote that down.

My only comfort is that many ordinary decent men are expressing outrage at the words and actions of both this young man AND his father.

Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree with Brock. Inevitable that he would grow up to be a rapist with a role model like that.

I read this today, too.

When I read his father's piece, it made me realise that we shouldn't have expected his son to turn out differently. And you know what, he could've written about his son and how this was out of character and they were all so ashamed and sorry for the poor girl and hoped she'd recover soon. The guy could have apologised and acknowledged what he'd done was really wrong. The woman said that was all she wanted. And now, it'll take her so much longer to recover simply because of that stupid twat of a judge and a father and son who will not accept blame. Disgraceful.

Not a mention about his son's victim, in the dad's statement to the court.

Mention of being intoxicated, and 'sexual promiscuity'. No mention of rape.

Is it any wonder these young men think they can get away with, when they've got parents who enable them to do so, because they refuse to accept their beloved sons have done anything wrong?

Of course people are going to campaign that after a little rape sentence he should be able to compete in the olympics.

Oscar Pistorius.

I read this in the Guardian today and came on here straightaway to see if there was already a thread about this. I'm so angry about the fucking victim blaming and pp justifying and excusing this monster's actions. It's so bloody predictable and so so wrong. Makes me want to scream. This could happen to any of us or our daughters. What kind of protection is there for women if this is the punishment for an appalling, life changing assault?

And his father? He should be ashamed, not minimising, almost dismissing what his son has done.

I'm just appalled. But not surprised, sadly.

This woman has reached into the very depths of her soul to write this letter. I can only hope it helps her find some peace and healing and that she has good support around her.

That is such a powerful piece of writing from her. I hope it brings her a small measure of peace. I do wonder how it might have turned out differently if (a.) he had not been caught red-handed by two witnesses, and (b.) he was not a white athletics scholarship student.

It has similarities with the Ched Evans case. If there are any positives that we can take from these awful events, it is that in both cases the police/ authorities decided that the perpetrator must be prosecuted, and that both were found guilty. It won't undo the damage inflicted to the victims, but perhaps this is a start of a widespread change in attitudes to these crimes.

I have a question for anyone with legal expertise. Is there a better way of bringing these crimes to trial? Are there any legal systems in any democracies where something other than adversarial lawyers are used? Do they work?

The denial in the father's letter is screaming out - it's really no wonder that rapist cannot accept any responsibility for what he did when his own father refers to the rape his own son carried out as 'sexual promiscuity'. And the judge, probation officer, the defence attorney all going to extreme lengths to validate both the rapist & his father's fucked up views of the limit of his responsibility for what he did & how that affected his victim - it disgusts me & yet it's depressingly unsurprising given the rape culture we all live in.

I missed a question mark or some indication of disgust at the end of my last paragraph - I meant that his dad was suggesting that Brock should get sympathy, but I couldn't see why, and didn't have a single ounce of it in me for him.

I've just read the letter from his dad.

It's powerful too in its own way. I understand that Brock is his child, but I (and I recoil from thinking about it) don't think I would be able to support my son like that if he did something as terrible as Brock did. His dad doesn't seem to even acknowledge the horror of what happened to the victim (and I feel terrible knowing his name, but not being able to acknowledge her, whilst simultaneously wishing her every piece of luck in staying anonymous).

Brocks life should be terribly impacted, hers was, and he did it. No part of me would ever think that what was going on there was even slightly acceptable. She says in her letter that one of the men who discovered her was in tears at the sight, being comforted by a police officer when she was rescued, I doubt he's going to forget it and be quite as happy go lucky ever again either.

Brock's actions are unforgivable. They have damaged his victim, her family and friends, the people who found her, and every police officer, health care and legal professional (or intern), and Brock should get sympathy because he now has to deal with the pitifully small reaction to that.

^"Only men have to be responsible when drunk' The implication being that raping someone is actually just a bit irresponsible i suppose angryangry
Bookm^

The fact that I have frequently been drunk and yet managed to never stick any of my appendages unwanted in another person goes straight over their head.

There's a line in Terry Pratchett's Night Watch book, something to the effect of:

"I've had 5 years' good behaviour"

"No, you've had five years of Not Getting Caught."

That such a blinkered asshole can create such an entitled rapist is completely believable.

20 minutes in 20 years?!?!? I am spitting nails over here.

Sorry forgot the link

thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/06/05/3784913/stanford-sexual-assault-dad-letter/

I can only think that women are acceptable collateral damage in pursuit of sporting glory
I also found a letter his dad wrote saying "[His sentence] is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life"
Wonder where Brock got his attitude to women then.
I need to step away from the Internet, this is making me incandescent with rage

I read that this morning. Absolutely devestating. Such an eloquent piece, it brought tears to my eyes. I hope his supporters are ashamed of themselves. This victim blaming makes my blood boil. Why do so many seek excuses for famous criminals, I'm talking Ched Evans and Adam Johnson, they are the scumbags and should be treated as such, not the poor victims

I just Googled him and there is a Facebook page campaigning for him to be able to swim at Rio, apparently he's a victim of a miscarriage of justice because only menhave to be responsible while drunk. The implication being that drunk men just can't help sticking their penis in people, even if they are unconscious on the floor, they must want it.
It reminds me of the Ched Evans campaign.
Sick fuckers

Worth noting that he hasn't even got six months in prison, it's six months - of which he'll probably only serve three - in a county jail.

County jail is for holding individuals prior to trial, or for short-term sentences, and short-term sentences usually apply to non-violent, minor felonies.

Brock Turner has committed a crime that, if he had been sentenced properly, would have seen him serve his sentence in a medium or high security prison. However due to the shockingly inadequate sentence, he's going to be allowed to see out his time in a much 'cushier' county jail.

The whole thing is a disgrace.

Someone posted recently about what to teach a class of students in a PSHE lesson or something like that. Reading this would make a powerful lesson.
I hope she is able to find some peace.

6 months???!!!!!!!

Makes my blood boil. I feel she was very lucky those two men came across her because as she said, how was he planning to leave her.
What a disgusting excuse for a man he is.

As a man I am disgusted by people like this, no wonder women are frightened to come forward.

I can honestly say my eyes were welling up but I also felt angry and disgusted. One of my mates had a sister who was raped when she was around 18, I knew her really well and it effected her for such a long time (and still does no doubt), such a lovely, kind, sweet person. She was a little drunk when it happened, that was it, nothing more, but this somehow in the rapists mind meant he had the green light to force himself on her, other drunk teens nearby just let it happen

As is clearly highlighted in this article and letter, rich people can and do get the best lawyers and investigators, this I feel already gives judges a better impression of them than they deserve. They also then basically act as if they are prosecuting the poor woman who has been raped for a crime, acting like they are the criminal rather than the person they are defending.

Then you see the usual excuses;

Male was heavily intoxicated
Female was even more intoxicated
Male was sure he heard the Female give consent
Female was wearing very skimpy clothing
Female was flirting
Female was dancing provocatively (that word should be banned!)
Etc etc

Everything is about blaming the woman for something, anything, THERE MUST be some reason why this wonderful law abiding man would do this.

How could you even be turned on to get an erection to even think about doing this to someone who hasn't given consent and clearly doesn't want it, let alone to someone unconscious.

Makes me ashamed to actually be a man.

Sorry for posting on your thread, I just had to say something. I hope this young lady manages to forgot that worthless excuse for a human being.