A former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on campus is expected to be released three months early.
A former Stanford University swimmer sentenced to six months in jail last week for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on campus is expected to be released three months early, according to Santa Clara County jail records.
Brock Turner, 20, was placed into custody on June 2, when he was sentenced to six months in county jail after being convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault earlier this year.
Jail records show he is being held at the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose, where he’s scheduled for release on Sept. 2.
Turner assaulted the unconscious and partially unclothed woman during a party outside a fraternity house on school grounds next to a Dumpster early on the morning of Jan. 18, 2015.
Two passersby caught Turner in the act, chased after him and apprehended him before authorities reached the scene.
The woman woke up later in the morning at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where she couldn’t remember anything past midnight after drinking alcohol at the party.
Turner told sheriff’s investigators that he was heavily drinking at the party where he met the woman, kissed her outside on the ground and believed the sex was consensual.
The woman’s 12-page statement read in court addressed to Turner has been widely shared online that describes the impact the assault and its aftermath have had on her life:
“I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All-American swimmer at a top university, innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake. I am a human being who has been irreversibly hurt, who waited a year to figure out if I was worth something.”
The six-month sentence issued by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky has drawn criticism and led to an online petition seeking Persky’s removal. The petition has been signed by nearly 900,000 people as of Thursday morning.
Another petition asks for the federal government to impeach Persky for the “lenient” sentence and is looking for 100,000 signatures by July 8 in order to hear back from White House officials. The White House petition has been signed by more than 98,000 people as of Thursday morning.
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