Lenient sexual assault sentencing revives controversy in U.S.
After another case of a judge giving two years’ probation to a Massachusetts student athlete who admitted to sexually assaulting two women as they slept raised ire on social media over the sentencing according to Reuters.
David Becker is 18 from western Massachusetts and was able to avoid jail time even though prosecutors suggested a two-year sentence from Judge Thomas Estes after Becker admitted to the sexual assault of two 18-year-old-women as they slept after a party and an initial charge of rape was changed to indecent assault and battery.
Becker will also undergo treatment and evaluation as a sex offender and submit to drug and alochol screenings during his two year probation which many compared to the sentencing of Brock Turner, a Stanford University student who received a six-month sentence after being convicted of sexual assault when prosecutors asked for six years in prison.
“Both Brock Turner and David Becker were privileged white athletes who could afford strong legal representation. In both cases, the judge could readily identify with the rapist and prioritize their well-being. In both cases the judges disregarded sentencing recommendations from prosecutors,” said Karin Roland of women’s rights group Ultraviolet.
While the defense attorney for Becker, Thomas Rooke, argued that the young man shouldn’t be branded with a felony offense that “would have destroyed this kid’s life.”
The case is quickly gaining steam on social media as commentators add their own outrage and personal experiences of the justice system not taking rape and sexual assault cases seriously.
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